APTUS and Volleyball Injuries
Did you know?
Players over the age of 18 are injured 3x more often compared to younger players (Active & Safe Central)
Volleyball is a widely played sport in Australia with its popularity experiencing an incredible surge in the past decade. The sport has gone beyond its origin as a recreational activity and has transformed into a highly competitive team sport. Being a sport that requires massive amounts of jumping and explosive over head movements, Volleyball places high demand on a players body
Generally overuse injuries tend to occur more frequently compared to sudden injuries in volleyball due to repetitive movements, incorrect technique, and the playing surface. Injuries to the knee, shoulder, and lower back are common injuries from playing volleyball.
Injuries by Body Parts
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While not as common, head injuries can occur during volleyball and can include sustaining a concussion. This may be from a ball, another player, or a piece of equipment like the net poles. The brain is soft tissue, cushioned by spinal fluid, within the skull. A blow to the head can jolt your brain, literally moving it around, causing bruising or damage to blood vessels or nerves that result in a concussion.
Symptoms of a concussion may include:
Dizziness/Balancing problems
Headache
Nausea
Confusion
Clumsiness
Slurred speech
Blurred vision
Sensitivity to light and/or noise
Ringing in ears
Memory loss
Behavior or personality changes
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Overhead serving, spiking, blocking, and other extreme positions and rotations for hitting are all repetitive volleyball movements that can lead to shoulder pain. Overuse can lead to rotator cuff tendonitis, though this is more common in adult players. In younger players, shoulder impingement is more common. It’s the result of your rotator cuff being pinched and compressed shoulder bones (humerus and acromion).
Rotator Cuff Tendonitis symptoms include pain from the outer arm up to the top of the shoulder. The pain may be worse at night, when reaching behind your back, and when reaching overhead (you may hear a clicking sound during this movement).
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Jumper’s knee (aka patellar tendonitis) is an overuse injury that causes tears in the patellar (knee) tendon. The repetitive, explosive jumping in volleyball can put a lot of stress on your patellar tendon leading to injury. At some point, approximately half of volleyball players will develop jumper’s knee.
A less common but serious knee injury that affects volleyball players is an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear. In volleyball, this typically occurs during a cutting maneuver or when an athlete comes down from a jump awkwardly.
Symptoms
Jumper’s knee causes pain that typically occurs where the patellar tendon attaches to your lower kneecap.
Players who experience an ACL tear may hear or feel a pop when the injury occurs. Swelling, pain, and feeling like your knee might “give out” or feel unstable. Read more about ACL injuries here
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In Volleyball, Ankle sprains and strains often occur at the net when an opposing player lands on another player’s foot. A sprain occurs if the ligament is stretched or torn while a strain occurs if a tendon or muscle tissue is stretched or torn. Both can lead to a painful injury.
Read more about Ankle Sprains here
Jumpers Knee is a condition characterized by inflammation of your patellar tendon. This connects your kneecap (patella) to your shin bone (tibia). Jumper's knee weakens your tendon, and, if untreated, can lead to tears in your tendon.
Knee pads are commonly worn by Volleyball players as a guard to injuries to the joint and knee cap. It also protects against scrapes and burns.
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The APTUS Knee Therapy brace is designed with supportive structures which offload the high intensity pressures on the knee during sports.
The Therapy Brace is engineered to fit anatomically onto the delicate structures of your knee and with a sturdy fit, it provides a comfort and support during sporting activities.
Disclaimer: This article serves as a general guide you must always consult a medical professional regarding information and treatment for all injuries and pain.
