Goalkeeper skips warm-up – and almost misses world champs

14 October 2013

Goalkeeper skips warm-up – and almost misses world champs

There’s nothing like getting injured to make you aware of the impact an injury can have on your life.

As part of ACC Safety Week 2013, ACC clients are sharing their stories about how they got injured – and they’re encouraging other Kiwis to pay attention to safety, to avoid getting injured themselves.

Below, inline hockey player Kendra Manning, from Wellington, shares her story:

Many sports involve putting your body on the line, or performing movements beyond those we’re used to in everyday life.

This is certainly true if you’re a goalkeeper in the sport of rollerblade or ‘inline’ hockey – which is why Kendra Manning is normally a stickler for warming up before a game or training session.

But one day, she arrived late to practice, and aware that she was holding up her teammates, proceeded straight onto the court.

That proved a decision she quickly came to regret – and one which very nearly robbed her of the chance to represent New Zealand at the World Championships in the USA.

“The very first goal-keeping movement I made, I went down on my knee and heard a loud pop.”

Hoping for the best, Kendra tried to skate a little on the injured leg, but quickly realised it wasn’t going to allow that. So instead of continuing with the practice session, Kendra headed to A and E.

“At first my knee was too swollen to diagnose accurately. So I ended up having physiotherapy, but eventually my sports physio ordered an MRI scan. It turned out that I had a torn meniscus, as well as a partially torn MCL ligament.”

At the time of the scan, there were only two months to go before the World Champs.

“It was touch and go whether I’d make it. I needed keyhole surgery to remove the torn cartilage, and was told the recovery time would be around six weeks.”

Fortunately, Kendra did make it to Los Angeles, where her New Zealand senior women’s team finished third behind the USA and Canada.

Needless to say, the injury was a timely reminder not to take shortcuts when it comes to warming up.

“It’s really important to stretch and gently warm up the body before you start playing. If you don’t, you’re increasing your risk of getting injured.”

ENDS

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