Common Volleyball Injuries and Their Prevention

 

 

Volleyball has become popular in the past few decades, with more than 800 players playing the sport worldwide. Players take part in it both as a competitive sport and as a leisure activity. The sport has the fourth-highest participation rate in the world, with more than 563,000 high school boys and 808,000 girls participating each year in the United States. It’s popular for its place in the Olympics and for being played on warm, sandy beaches.

But did you know that since volleyball has repetitive motions, it can result in injuries? Here are some common volleyball injuries that you should know about.

Are Volleyball Injuries Common?

With so many players participating in the sport, it’s no surprise that there were more than 23,597 volleyball injuries in 2020. In high school, 17, 434, 646 athletes reported injuries, out of which 8.0% were muscle overuse and 92.0% were acute injuries. Some of the more common injuries include ankle strains, shoulder and finger injuries.

Ankle Injuries

Ankle sprains are the most common volley-ball-related acute injury, accounting for 40% of all of them. They usually occur when a player’s ankle rolls in or when an opposing player lands on the player’s foot when landing from a jump. Though they aren’t serious injuries, it’s harder to prevent them during the game.

Prevention

Players should wear shoes with good ankle and arch support to minimize the risk of ankle injuries. An ankle support brace can help prevent the player’s foot from rolling in. It's wise to be careful though as some ankle injuries can result in a light fracture and even cartilage injury.

Finger Injuries

Finger injuries are another common volleyball-related injury. Players usually face sprains or dislocations in their finger joints when blocking at the net. Sometimes these injuries can also result in tendon and ligament tears.

 

Prevention

It should go without saying but ample stretching and relaxed fingers can be the best prevention techniques. Stretching your fingers helps strengthen your muscles. Moreover, players should also play with rigid wrists and tape their fingers. It’s also a great technique if players need to return to the court after suffering a minor injury. Moisturizing thoroughly is also important to avoid split fingertips.

Shoulder Injuries

The repetitive overhead motions in volleyball (hitting, blocking, serving, setting) can result in shoulder sprains. They're muscle overuse injuries and occur due to overusing the rotator cuff. And though it’s less common, these injuries can also result in tears. According to research, jump servers and attackers are more likely to suffer from shoulder injuries.

Prevention

Ample stretching exercises and scapula strengthening exercises can reduce the risk of shoulder injuries. Exercise and proper technique can also significantly lower any risks. Most players still play even when there are signs of fatigue or pain in the rotator cuff and labrum. That can severely injure the shoulder muscles. So, players should always react appropriately to any pain signals and consult their trainer.

Lower-Back Injuries

Lower back pain is the most common back injury in volleyball. It usually results from leaning forward when passing or following a serve. Or from leaning back when initiating or serving. It occurs due to hypertension in the muscles when hitting or serving, which puts stress on the lower backbone.

If not careful, the pain from leaning forward can result in lower spine issues and problems with the discs between these bones. While stress injuries in bones and joints are likely to occur from leaning back and overstretching.

Prevention

A great way to minimize risk is by reducing any stress on the lower back. The player should learn and practice how to initiate movements with the gluteal muscles. We recommend that players participate in gluteal muscle strengthening exercises. Players should also reduce any physical technical errors when playing like increased force or reaching too far back or forward.

 

Knee Pain

Jumper’s knee or patellar tendonitis is another common issue that arises due to playing volleyball. It occurs due to excessive stress on the tendon that connects the kneecap to the tibia.

Jumper's knee is another overuse injury that occurs due to repetitive jumping in volleyball. Moreover, ample knee contact with the court surface can also lead to many issues.

Prevention

Players should always avoid landing on their knees. It's better to land gently and move with the hips. When landing, the player should aim to land in proper alignment.  Their hips and kneecaps should be in line with their second toe. Moreover, wearing kneepads also helps reduce bruises.

Are There More Ways to Prevent Injuries?

Yes! Players should invest time and energy in an offseason workout practice that could help players avoid any injuries. This is especially important for overuse injuries. All-year-round strengthening exercises involving cross-training can be beneficial.

Cross-training is important to ensure all of player's muscle groups get the attention they need to prevent an overuse injury.

 

Another great prevention technique is to use safe volleyball nets to prevent severe injuries.

And if you’re looking for quality volleyball nets, try Cobra Net Systems! Cobra Net Systems offers easily portable and professional volleyball nets with the added safety of aluminum poles and no wires or pegs.

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Visit our website to buy safe volleyball net systems today.