Volleyball safety

Volleyball is a popular sport for kids and teens in the U.S. And just like any sport, there is a chance of getting hurt while playing. The experts in sports medicine at the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine at Children’s Health℠ are here to help your volleyball player recover from even the most challenging injuries, and help your child avoid future injuries. Our main goal is to foster young athletes' health and well-being and support their return to play.

What are common volleyball injuries?

Volleyball often involves repeating the same movements, like spiking, jumping, and blocking. As a result, volleyball players have a higher chance of hurting their shoulders, knees, fingers and ankles. Common volleyball injuries that require advanced orthopedic treatments and sports rehabilitation include:

Volleyball injury prevention

Your child can stay injury-free by:

  • Making time to recover. Your child must always properly cool down after practice. They should also take time off from volleyball between seasons, even if it is just to play a different sport.

  • Preparing the body for activity. Your child should always warm up muscles with stretching and light aerobic exercises before playing. They should also always stay properly hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids and wear the right footwear and gear that fits correctly.

  • Interval training. Volleyball requires a different kind of endurance compared to sports like long-distance running. Since volleyball involves quick bursts of activity lasting only 20 to 30 seconds, doing long cardio workouts does not offer many benefits for volleyball players. Instead, interval training with cutting and changing directions can simulate the movements in a game.

  • Strength training. Building strength in the core and legs can improve balance and jumping ability for volleyball players. It is also important to strengthen the rotator cuff and scapular muscles in the shoulders to prevent overuse injuries in volleyball. This helps make the shoulders stable and strong, which is necessary for the repetitive movements like hitting, serving, and spiking the volleyball.

  • Wearing braces or athletic tape. If your child has already sprained an ankle or hurt their knee in the past, they can prevent re-injury by wearing a brace or athletic tape over the area to offer it extra support while playing.

  • Routinely seeing their doctor. Schedule your child’s annual physical before their season of play. Make sure your child follows their doctor’s instructions for managing pain or injuries.

When to see a doctor

In general, it is best to take your child to see a doctor if they:

  • Develop any ongoing pain or soreness (for more than a couple of days) after or during activity

  • Experience a sudden onset of swelling or pain, or pain that does not go away after two weeks of rest

  • Develop any numbness or tingling, or the injured area looks different or out of place

  • Experience a sudden change in how well they can perform

  • Are using anti-inflammatory medications to cope with arm fatigue before or during activity

  • Limp for more than 48 hours

  • Experience swelling that gets worse the next day despite using ice and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, or soft tissue swelling on both sides of a joint, often seen easily around the knee or ankle

With most sports injuries, diagnosing issues in the early stages reduces the likelihood your child will need surgery.