Throughout the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, we are spotlighting the different experiences of women in our Sports Performance Programme. We chatted with Bryony O’Hare, a dedicated netball player who faced adversity last year when she suffered a torn ACL and lateral meniscus.
Despite this setback, Bryony has demonstrated resilience through her ongoing rehabilitation with physiotherapists, all while emerging as a key contributor to the University of Exeter Netball Club (UOENC). She eagerly anticipates returning to the court soon. Check out what she says below!
Q: Introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your sport and your current playing status.
Hey, I’m Bryony. I am an 18-year-old netballer who is currently around 6 months post-op after having a full ACL reconstruction and repairs to my lateral meniscus. Rehab for my injury has been more complex due to having injured both areas within my knee, which has meant my progress through the stages has been more delayed than a usual recovery.
Q: How did you first get into playing netball?
I first started playing netball at school level when I was in year 5. However, it wasn’t until year 7 that I decided I wanted to play more frequently and competitively and I joined my first netball team. I then progressed through and just before my injury I was playing for Team Bath u19s and gained a place for Northern Ireland u21s. I am working hard through my recovery in hopes once I am back playing netball I can return to this level. Â
Q: What is your current rehab programme like?
My current rehab program consists of 2 strength sessions (bilateral and unilateral), two plyometric sessions each week and 2 netball specific upper/core workouts. I am not yet cleared to run so my cardio includes using a WATT bike, but I am due to move onto this within the next couple weeks. Â
Q: How have the team and people around you aided in your recovery and personal life?
My teammates, especially within the Uni have been incredibly supportive and understanding throughout my recovery process. They can appreciate that recovering from a long-term injury is both a mental and physical battle and I know that on the days I am struggling, I have the girls by my side to help in any way they can. My family have also been an incredible help throughout this process in multiple ways. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to afford or travel to physio and 1:1 strength and conditioning sessions which have been critical in getting me to the position I am at now. In my personal life, I have found the majority of people have been understanding if I have to miss certain events due to my intense rehab program. Â
Q: What are you most excited about coming back from injury?
I am definitely, most excited to experience again the feeling after a tough match where both teams battle for the entire 60 minutes but you come off the court with a buzz knowing that you and your teammates put everything into it.Â
Q: What advice would you give to sportswomen who are at the beginning of their recovery? Also, if you could, what would you say to yourself at the beginning?
The advice I would give to sportswomen with ACL ruptures would be to break down and focus on smaller steps of the rehab process. Perhaps record yourself at different points throughout so when you look back on past videos you can see how far you’ve already come. A piece of advice I wish I had been told initially after my surgery is to try to not compare your rehab journey to other people.
Everyone’s injuries are different, and everyone responds differently to surgery. If you put the work in, you will still end up at the same place despite having slightly slower progressions. Â
We wish Bryony all the best in her return to the court and express how proud we are of her progress, determination, and strength. Exactly what This Girl Can is about.