Knee Injuries in Volleyball

Abstract

The knee is the most frequent site of injury in volleyball players. More than 40% of high level players suffer overuse injuries during this activity; this particularly painful syndrome is caused by the amount of jumping typical in volleyball play, and in its training which aims at strengthening the quadriceps muscle. In volleyball players the extensor apparatus is subject to continuously high stress and the bone tendon junction, being the weakest point, is susceptible to lesion. The prevention and treatment of 'jumper's knee' requires a high degree of cooperation among trainers, doctors and athletes. Although volleyball is a sport without contact between players, traumatic acute injuries are more frequent and more serious than would be expected. It is therefore important to emphasise that volleyball must be considered among the high risk sports that expose the knee not only to twisting, but also to contact with other players. Generally, the lesions are caused by frequent jumps with loss of balance and a consequent 'one-footed' landing. There is no specific method of preventing knee instability. Accurate diagnoses, rest and rapid surgical treatment after the first injury are recommended in order to avoid chronic knee instability with subsequent meniscal lesions and post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

Sports, Joint Injury, and Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis

“…23,24 Individuals who participate in sports that subject joints to more intense impact and torsional loading than running does may have an increased prevalence of osteoarthritis. 19,21,38,58 Participants in American football appear to have an increased incidence of degenerative change in multiple joints, possibly due to joint injuries. 21,76,97,105 One investigator reported that more than 80% of American football players with a histor y of a knee injur y had evidence of osteoarthritis 10 to 30 years after competing.…”

Incidence, Symptoms and Diagnosis of Jumper's Knee and Knee Contusions in Female College Volleyball Players

“…These results show that muscle flexibility is high at this age in female athletes generally. This study's finding of high muscle flexibility using the heel-tobuttock and SLR tests among flexible female athletes is thought to be due to the fact that subjects' skeletal growth had stopped, because they were well past their growth period, and their longitudinal muscle growth had had time to catch up with skeletal growth, and also because the subjects were older than these of other studies 1,2,6) .…”

“…Although volleyball is the sport with the highest incidence of jumper's knee overseas as well as nationally 5) , most published literature on the subject does not classify cases by factors such as gender or age 1,2,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . Generally, male athletes have higher jumping power and lower muscle flexibility.…”

“…This examination consisted of a buttocks rising test, the results of which are said to be closely related to the severity of jumper's knee. Muscle flexibility, also said to be closely related to the development of jumper's knee [1][2][3] , was also investigated. Heel-to-buttock distance and a straight leg raise (SLR) test were used to assess muscle flexibility.…”

Etiology of Patellar Tendinopathy in Athletes

“…Patellar tendinopathy has been reported as the most common injury in volleyball, representing as much as 28% of the injuries in that sport. 4,14 Ferretti et al 4 reported an incidence as high as 40% among high-level volleyball players. Patellar tendinopathy can be debilitating to an athlete, resulting in limited participation or cessation of play.…”