St. Elizabeth Healthcare looks at the start of fall high school sports and what athletes, coaches and parents should know to stay healthy and optimize performance. If you missed the others, click to read more about football, soccer or cross country.
Today: Volleyball.
Key dates
Kentucky: first competition Aug. 15; district play week of Oct. 16-22; region play week of Oct. 23-29; state tournament week of Oct. 30-Nov. 5. Ohio: first competition Aug. 20; sectional tournaments Oct. 17-22; district tournaments Oct. 24-29; regional tournaments Oct. 31-Nov. 5; state tournament Nov. 10-12.
Common injuries
According to Dr. Tyler Browning of St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine, many volleyball players develop a form of patellar tendinitis called jumper’s knee, a persistent pain just below the kneecap. A condition with similar symptoms is Osgood-Schlatter disease, in which the tendon connecting the kneecap to the tibia (shinbone) can pull away a bit from the tibia, sometimes resulting in a painful bump below the kneecap. It’s not infrequent among adolescents, and more among athletes who frequently jump and/or change direction, as do volleyball players. Other common volleyball injuries include ankle sprains, shoulder injuries and lower-back pain. And don’t forget fingers, which can be susceptible to fractures or dislocations on digs, sets and spikes.
Ounce of prevention
A key to mitigating (or avoiding) jumper’s knee is to make sure quadriceps muscles are sufficiently strong and flexible. Your school’s ATC can help. The band-style knee straps can offer needed support, as can ankle braces. Always pay attention to stretching regimens, and remember to properly cool down after a practice or match. Working to develop and maintain strength in core muscles can help ward off back pain. There isn’t much you can do to keep fingers out of the line of fire, but if you’re prone to finger injuries you can try athletic tape for additional support.
Pound of cure
The RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) protocol can be used for knee pain, as can over-the-counter anti-inflammatories if needed. The same is recommended for shin splints. Tendinitis is the most common shoulder injury; while rotator cuff tears are relatively rare, if symptoms persist it should be evaluated. Lower-back pain stems from frequent crouching and bending inherent in volleyball. It’s more commonly a muscle or ligament strain and can be approached conservatively, but if pain extends into the lower extremities an evaluation may be needed for a herniated disc.
The last word
With knees, it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution, particularly if progress is slow. “If you have swelling to the point that it’s making walking difficult, or if your knee feels like it’s catching, or locking, you should get that checked out, and sooner rather than later,” Browning said.
