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The new season will start in a couple of months and last season I’ve seen a lot of people go off the field with an injury. From big to smaller injuries, from bruised fingers to a sprained ankle. And from long-term injuries to shoulders to short injuries to knees. Not surprising in itself since volleyball is (unfortunately) known as an injury-prone sport. So well known that it is in the top 10 of sports where injuries most often occur. If you look at sports with the highest risk of injury, volleyball is even in the 6th place. Most injuries, according to research of Volleysafe, are those to the shoulder (41%), ankle (26%) or fingers (13%) and in more than half of the cases occur ‘suddenly’, for example due to a sudden sprint or a jump.
Did you know that on average someone gets 1 injury per 1000 hours of sports? And that volleyball players sustain an average of 170,000 injuries every year? So it’s good to see where this comes from and more importantly, how can injuries be prevented?
Let’s first look at the cause of injuries
As you know there is a lot of jumping and diving in volleyball. Most injuries are caused by a fall or that you hit the ball wrong.
The Volleysafe research I mentioned earlier indicates that 21% of injuries are caused by sprains and 11% by jumping. 61% of the injured volleyball players could not play volleyball for more than 1 day. An injury often requires medical treatment. 88% of injuries even require medical treatment! Prevention is better than cure, right? But, how do you do that? We give you a number of tips:
Prevent an injury with the following tips
Research shows that a good warm-up significantly reduces the risk of injury. Not all injuries can be prevented, but the risk decreases if a player has the right equipment and is fit, focused and skilled.
Shoes and equipment
It seems logical, but it is important to have good shoes with good cushioning. Old or bad shoes often cause knee problems. And because the cushioning of shoes decreases over time, it is wise to buy new shoes at least once every two years. Be well informed when buying shoes.
And for people who often dive / end up on their knees, good knee pads are of course also a must.
Exercises and workouts
Volleyball may seem like a simple sport; with six players keeping the ball in the air as much as possible on their own side and get it on the ground on the opponent’s side as quickly as possible. But, it’s quite complex. You must be able to move quickly. Jumping, sprinting, diving, standing up, rolling and so on. The better you master the various aspects, the smaller the chance of injuries. It is therefore not only important to train a lot / well, but also to train in a targeted manner. And don’t forget the warm-up and cool-down, which are essential to prevent injuries.
Environmental factors
Of course you can’t influence everything. Think of a very slippery or very stiff floor, a poorly damping floor, but also a collision with a teammate. Prevention is key! If you know you have a weak wrist or ankles, play with a brace. In addition to volleyball training, make sure that you also train in a more versatile way, e.g. by doing shoulder exercises, stability exercises and dynamic stretching exercises.
If you have an injury, who knows, a sports massage might be good for you! >> The next massage evening is on February 8!
Warm up app
Oh and one more thing. NeVoBo has developed a warm-up program, especially for volleyball, in collaboration with Safety.nl and sports physiotherapists. With this program, the chance of injuries is reduced by 20% and for your impression: this quickly saves 3 to 5 injuries per season in a team. The program consists of warm-up, core and stability exercises and exercises aimed at preventing knee, shoulder and ankle injuries. View the program here or download the free VolleyVeilig app and access the exercises and videos anywhere, anytime.
Do you have any tips to prevent injuries? Share them with the editors!
*Source: NeVoBo, volley safe, VolleybalXL
