Prevent, Identify & Treat Common Volleyball Injuries With These 3 Steps

Discover three simple tips for addressing the most common volleyball injuries.

In this article, we want to outline three important steps for any volleyball player wondering how to address the most common volleyball injuries. Because we believe that prevention should always be an athlete’s first line of defense in protecting their body, we’ll start with some information on how to avoid preventable injuries on the volleyball court. Next, we’ll establish what you should be looking for in order to identify the most common injuries. And lastly, we’ll offer some recommendations on treatment if you do indeed find yourself suffering from one of the described conditions.

Step #1: Here’s How to Avoid a Volleyball Injury

Let’s talk prevention. Sometimes keeping yourself injury-free on the court comes down to a little prior planning and some basic common sense. Consider our three, simple ideas below for optimizing your performance and reducing the risk of sustaining a volleyball injury.

• Maintain a balanced approach to training: In other words, try to incorporate varied activities into your regular routine (cross-train) and don’t play volleyball year-round without any “off-season.”

• Commit to your own improvement: When your body is in peak physical condition and you’ve mastered proper technique and form, you’ll be at your lowest possible risk for injury.

• Check yourself and use common sense: Before you step onto the court, ask yourself whether you are wearing the proper gear and whether you’re sufficiently hydrated and stretched.

Step #2: Time to Identify the Most Common Volleyball Injuries

As a volleyball player, coach or parent, you need to know what to look for when it comes to volleyball related injuries. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons reports that over 180,000 volleyball injuries are treated each year, so this is a prevalent issue and one that deserves our time.

When you are attempting to identify some of the most frequent injuries sustained by volleyball players, it’s helpful to think of them in four major categories: shoulder, knee, ankle, and finger. Use the links in the content below to learn more specifics about certain conditions.

• Common volleyball shoulder injuries include sprains and strains, typically due to overuse. They can also involve rotator cuff tendonitis or tears and shoulder impingement syndrome.

• Common volleyball knee injuries include ACL sprains and patellar tendinitis.

• The most often cited volleyball ankle injury is a common ankle sprain. However, the sprain may also be associated with a subtle fracture or cartilage injury.

• Volleyball finger injuries usually occur as a result of impact and can involve dislocations and tendon tears.

Step #3: Getting the Treatment You Need

When you’re a committed athlete, common volleyball injuries can really throw a wrench into your daily life and your future plans. If you do sustain an injury, then your goal, of course, is to get back out on the court and return to playing at your optimal level as soon as possible. That’s where proper treatment becomes vital.

When you come to Rothman Orthopaedic Institute for the treatment of a common volleyball injury, you’ll benefit from all of the following aspects:

• You can access the high-level of care provided by Rothman Orthopaedic Institute from any one of dozens of regional offices, so simply look for the one closest to you!

• Our physicians are specialists in certain areas of care. Bottom line: if you come in with a shoulder injury, you can expect to see one of our shoulder experts.

• The Rothman Orthopaedic Institute team is committed to using minimally invasive treatment measures whenever possible. Although we successfully perform thousands of orthopaedic surgeries each year, it is only after nonsurgical options have been exhausted that we would recommend surgery for our patients.

Our goal, like yours, is to see you back on the court, playing the sport you love. We’ve worked with countless volleyball players and we’ve seen every injury in the book! So, if you’re suffering from one of the common volleyball injuries that seem to plague athletes in this sport, visit us here or contact us at 1-800-321-9999.