Preventing Injuries in Volleyball Players: Essential Tips and Strategies

Introduction -

Volleyball is an all-time favorite sport among athletes. From school to college and from national to international level, Athletes play volleyball. Unfortunately, it is common to get injured during volleyball. Playing for a longer time results in overuse injuries, muscle tears, ligament sprain, fractures, bruises, or concussions. Injuries can happen in any part of the body, such as the shoulder, knee, hips, and legs. Proper training, strength, and flexibility exercises, good shoes, and conditioning make the body strong and healthy. All these sports preparations help young players to prevent any injury during sports.

What Are the Common Injuries of Volleyball?

Injury during volleyball more commonly involves the shoulder, arms, head, and legs. Muscle pulls, ligament sprains, tendon tears, and fractures are often seen in volleyball. Some common injuries during volleyball are listed below -

Shoulder Injuries - Volleyball involves the use of hands and legs. Hands are used in repetitive action. The movement of shoulder blades can result in shoulder injuries. Shoulder injuries include -

• Inflammation in the Shoulder muscle (rotator cuff muscles).

• Tendon Tear (Rotator cuff tendon).

• Shoulder Impingement Syndrome - This condition is caused by the impingement of muscles and tendons of the shoulder during movement. It causes pain and discomfort in movement.

• Knee Injuries - Volleyball includes a lot of jumping and causes extra pressure on the knees. This increased pressure over the knee results in injuries. Knee injuries include -

• Patellar Tendonitis - This is also known as a jumper’s knee. The patellar tendon is attached to the patella (known as the kneecap) and to the tibia (known as the shin bone). Repetitive jumping causes strain in the patellar tendon, which causes patellar tendonitis.

• Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear (ACL Tearing) - ACL provides stability to the knee. This ligament is present on the inner side of the knee. In addition, the ACL provided position sensitivity to the lower leg.

• Ankle Injury - Jumping and running movement during volleyball is responsible for an ankle injury. Sprain and ligament fractures are prevalent in the ankle area.

What Are the Causes of Volleyball Injuries?

Volleyball is a contact sport, and the chances of getting injured are very high during volleyball. Some causes of volleyball injury are listed below -

• Continuous Running and Jumping - Volleyball is a sport that requires constant running and jumping. This repetitive action causes increased pressure on the ankle and knees and results in injury.

• Overuse of Muscles - Repetitive action of hands and legs results in overuse of muscles which causes injury to the muscles and ligaments off the shoulder, leg, hands, and knee.

• Overtraining - To increase performance, athletes do training; if they continue training for long without rest, it will harm muscles and ligaments and result in injury and pain.

• Weak Muscles - Lack of exercise and not having healthy meals are responsible for weak muscles. Weak muscles cannot withstand pressure which results in tearing.

• Lack of Flexibility - Lack of flexibility in the body can increase the chances of muscle pull, strain, and stress.

• Wearing the Wrong Shoes - The wrong shoe size can cause leg injury.

• Wrong Technique - Volleyball is a sport full of techniques. The lousy practice causes injury to the legs and hands. Improper landing technique Causes ankle sprain and sometimes fracture also.

• Lack of Training - Any sports require proper training to perform better. Lack of training decreases performance and increases the chances of injury during sports.

• Dehydration - Sports cause a lot of sweating and can develop dehydration. Due to dehydration, athletes can fall or become unconscious during sports and get injured.

• Injury With the Ball - Athletes try to bang the ball with their head which can result in severe head injury.

• Contact Injury - This condition develops when two or more athletes tangle with each other. Volleyball is a team game, and contact injury is very common during team Sports.

How to Prevent Injuries in Volleyball?

Prevention of injuries in volleyball includes exercises, training, and supervision. Preventive measures ensure the safety of athletes and also increase their performance. Some helpful points for the prevention of injury in volleyball are listed below -

• Stretching and Warm-Up - Proper stretching and warm-up are very important before starting sports. It will help in increasing blood circulation throughout the body and prevent sprain and strain injuries 5 to 10 minutes of warm-up before the match is necessary.

• A Balanced Diet - This is a common requirement for all athletes. Eating a balanced diet increases muscle strength and makes the body stronger. Volleyball is a sport that requires continuous running, jumping, and a lot of strength. To increase the strength of the muscles, a diet rich in protein, essential amino acids, and proper portions of carbohydrates and fats is very important.

• Rehydration - Fluid replacement drinks and plenty of water intake before, during, and after sport is necessary to avoid dehydration.

• Interval and Breaks - Athletes should know how to utilize intervals during sports. The rest period during volleyball is no longer than three minutes. Athletes should be aware of interval training. Try to do cardiovascular interval training, which includes shuffling, jumping exercises, deep breathing, and drills (shuttle and ladder). After the interval, athletes should rest for some time to provide recovery to the muscles from previous pressure.

• Strength Training - Volleyball requires a lot of strength to perform better. Strength-increasing exercises are very helpful in the prevention of injuries. The rotator cuff and scapular muscles also need strength training to avoid injuries during volleyball and to increase the strength and stability of the shoulders. Sports like volleyball require a strong core and legs to improve players' jumping quality. Exercises are very helpful in improving the strength of the core and legs. Some strength-increasing exercises are listed below-

1. Squats.

2. Lunges.

3. Bridges.

4. Jumping jacks.

5. Weightlifting.

6. Side lunges.

• Cross Training - Cross-training is a combination of exercises. Repetitive action and the same exercise cause overuse of muscles and result in overuse-related injuries to the muscles and ligaments. To avoid this condition cross training should be provided to the athletes. Cross-training is nothing but a mixture of many exercises. Cross-training includes all the muscles which can help athletes increase strength and prevent injuries.

• Training and Techniques - Learning proper training and techniques is very important to prevent any kind of injury during sports. For example, during volleyball, athletes usually get injured due to lousy landing techniques. Therefore, every athlete should learn proper landing techniques to play volleyball.

• Treatment of The Previous Injury - If any previous injury is present, then immediately consult with the doctor; until then, stop all the activities and do not return to the volleyball court.

• Shoes - Volleyball players need to stand and run for longer. They should always wear good shoes. Shoes should fit properly and provide support.

Conclusion

Sports require a fit, healthy, and injury-free body to perform better. Safety from injuries during a sport is a priority concern for athletes. While playing volleyball, unfortunately, it is common to get injured. Volleyball injuries commonly include head injuries, shoulder injuries, leg injuries, and hand injuries. These injuries can be mild or very severe depending upon the site and cause of injury. Prevention of these injuries is possible with the help of strength exercises, proper training, learning new techniques, hydration, and a balanced meal. “Prevention is always better than cure,” and every athlete should follow this idea.