Avoiding Volleyball Injuries
ith volleyball being an important part of a lot of teenage girls’
lives, injury has also become a part of their lives. Many
different injuries can occur but the most common revolve around the knee joints, ankle joints and shoulders. These injuries can be prevented as long as the proper actions are taken. These include stretching, strengthening the muscle and proper cool down steps.
Ankle injuries are the most common in the sport of volleyball. One misstep or one wrong landing and the ankle can become completely unusable. The ankle sprain, the most common ankle injury, tends to be the worst to heal and manage. It isn’t like a break which the doctors can cast while the bone heals itself. A sprain is a tear or pull on a tendon or ligament that doesn’t ever truly heal. The athlete can work on strengthening the muscle or tendon after the pain fades away which allows them to return to their sport. The best ways to avoid future ankle injury are wearing the proper shoes, stretching before and after practice, and strengthen the muscles during the off season.
Knee injuries are the second most common injury. With volleyball being a sport that requires a lot of impact to the floor, the knee takes the bulk of the force. There are two issues that have come up with volleyball athletes. The first is Patellar Tracking Disorder which is when the cartilage below the kneecap, or patella, disintegrates and causes the kneecap to not lock in place. To avoid developing Patellar Tracking Disorder, avoid activity that deals a lot of force against the knee, ice it after practices, and strengthening the knee ligaments. The second knee injury that occurs is Patellar Tendonitis. Patellar Tendonitis occurs when overuse of the knee is present. To prevent Patellar Tendonitis, stop playing as soon as you begin to feel pain, work on making leg muscles equally strong, and improve techniques for using the knee joints.
The ACL(Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear is the most common among every athlete. The ligament keeps the tibia(shinbone) attached to the femur(thighbone). This tear breaks that connection and causes weakness in balance and knees. The first thing to do to treat an ACL tear is to R.I.C.E. it. R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevate. An ACL tear is another injury that never really heals, and unlike a sprain, it takes much more to get back on the court. Doctors recommend surgery, especially if the knee is weak after rehabilitation.
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