Injuries common to volleyball players
Volleyball is a game that calls for a lot of hand and leg movement from its players. Though it does not involve running as compared to other sports like football or basketball, it calls for its players to display a considerable amount of athletic ability and gymnastic skills. Often, the special movements that are required in volleyball, such as serving or spiking, lead to injury that can be both severe or of a temporary nature.
One of the most common injuries found in volleyball players is the Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy. This injury is not only prevalent in players who play volleyball, but is common to players that indulge in sports which make use of the arm being above the head most of the time, such as tennis. The Rotator Cuff Tendinopathy has to do with the shoulder of the players, particularly those shoulder muscles that are called the rotator cuff muscles and are responsible for the rotation of the shoulder.
As servers and spikers make use of the rotator cuff muscles to apply the maximum amount of force possible to the ball while hitting it, excessive use of these muscles lead to irritation, fatigue and in some cases the muscles can get torn as well.
Another very common injury among volleyball players are Hand injuries and particularly, finger injuries. As players make use of their wrist, palm and fingers to pass the ball or to hit it over the net, these areas of the hand can easily get injured if a ball makes contact at a wrong angle. Finger injuries usually occur during actions such as blocking, digging and setting. While a player is performing these actions, he or she is prone to fractures and dislocation of the joints along with tears in the tendons or ligaments.
Other than that, the most frequent injury that volleyball players suffer on the court is Ankle sprains. This is because it is not uncommon for the players to jump high or dive low in order to hit a ball with force or attempt to save it from hitting the court. Such actions can easily cause Ankle sprains if the player does not land properly. An Ankle sprain occurs when the ligaments of the ankle get torn or stretched. More often than not, the players are able to return to court after a brief period of rest. However, in extreme cases surgery may be required if a specific sort of fracture occurs or if sprain is not healing for a long period of time.
As the volleyball players have to be active all the time and act in a 360 degree direction, they are prone to make quick movements. A sudden quick movement at a sharp angle can easily cause Back pains to occur. Again, these pains are related to ligament as well as muscle sprain. These pains can be severe or temporary depending on the cause. When the pain becomes severe and reaches beyond the back to move on to the legs, then the cause may as well be a herniated disk.
As long as one is playing, it is unavoidable to have injuries. However, the probability of having these injuries can be significantly reduced if proper care is taken and effective treatment is done.
As an anonymous person put it, all one should worry about while playing volleyball is to “Pass…Set…Crush!”
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