Blog 1: Everything Volleyball🏐

Part 1: Understanding The Demands Of The Sport:

Welcome to Everything Volleyball

Welcome to the first part of our 3-part volleyball series written by Dr. Keirstyn of Endurance Therapeutics! Whether you're a club player hitting 4-5 practices a week, a high school athlete balancing school and tournaments, or an adult rec league player keeping active, volleyball puts unique demands on your body that most players don't fully understand.

The sport looks deceptively simple: jump, hit, land, repeat. But those repetitive explosive movements create specific injury patterns, especially when you're playing at high volumes without proper conditioning.

Over the next three parts, we'll break down:

• Common volleyball injuries and why they happen (this blog)

• Building your volleyball body through training and recovery

• Long-term volleyball health and injury prevention

Let's start with understanding what breaks down and why.

The Unique Physical Demands of Volleyball

What Makes Volleyball Different:

Volleyball requires explosive power in short bursts, repeated hundreds of times per match:

• Vertical jumping: 200-300+ jumps per match (attackers and middles)

• Rapid directional changes: Quick lateral movements for digs and positioning

• Overhead reaching: Repetitive shoulder stress from hitting, blocking, serving

• Asymmetrical loading: Right-handed hitters load right shoulder and left hip disproportionately

• Impact absorption: Landing from jumps creates knee, hip, shin, and ankle stress

The Volume Problem: Club players often train 10-15+ hours per week during season, plus tournaments. Adult rec players may play 1-2x weekly but lack the conditioning foundation. Both scenarios create injury risk.

Most Common Volleyball Injuries

1. Knee Pain (Patellar Tendinopathy - "Jumper's Knee")

The #1 overuse injury in volleyball. Affects 40-50% of players at some point.

What It Is: Inflammation and degeneration of the patellar tendon (connects kneecap to shin bone) from repetitive jumping and landing.

What It Feels Like:

• Pain at the bottom of the kneecap

• Worse with jumping, landing, or squatting

• Stiffness after sitting

• Often starts as mild ache, progresses to sharp pain

Why It Happens:

• Repetitive explosive jumping (especially attacking and blocking)

• Poor landing mechanics (stiff-legged landings)

• Weak glutes and quads can't absorb impact properly

• High training volume without adequate recovery

• Rapid increases in jumping volume (early season, tournament weekends)

Who Gets It: Outside hitters, middle blockers (highest jump volume), but can affect any position

2. Shin Splints (Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome)

Sharp or aching pain along the inner shin bone from repetitive impact.

What It Feels Like:

• Pain along inner edge of shin

• Worse during activity, may improve with warmup

• Tender to touch

• Can progress to stress fractures if ignored

Why It Happens:

• Repetitive landing impact on hard gym floors

• Poor ankle mobility and calf strength

• Weak foot intrinsic muscles

• Sudden increases in training volume

• Improper footwear (worn-out court shoes)

Who Gets It: All positions, especially during pre-season conditioning or tournament heavy schedules

3. Shoulder Pain (Rotator Cuff Issues, Impingement)

Repetitive overhead hitting, blocking, and serving creates chronic shoulder stress.

What It Feels Like:

• Pain in front or side of shoulder

• Worse with overhead motions (hitting, serving)

• Weakness or fatigue during matches

• May feel clicking or catching

Why It Happens:

• Repetitive overhead stress: Hitters perform 100+ high-velocity arm swings per match

• Poor scapular control: Shoulder blade doesn't move properly during arm motion

• Weak rotator cuff: Can't stabilize shoulder during deceleration (after contact)

• Limited thoracic mobility: Upper back stiffness forces shoulder to compensate

• Asymmetrical overuse: Right-handed hitters develop right shoulder issues disproportionately

Who Gets It: Outside hitters, opposites (highest hitting volume), servers with aggressive jump serves

4. Hip Pain (Labral Stress, Hip Flexor Strains)

Often overlooked but increasingly common, especially in high-level players.

What It Feels Like:

• Deep groin or front-of-hip pain

• May feel like pinching during jumping

• Soreness after matches

• Often affects non-dominant side (left hip in right-handed hitters)

Why It Happens:

• Asymmetrical landing: Right-handed hitters land on left leg more often, creating uneven stress

• Hip flexor overload: Repetitive explosive knee drive during approach

• Poor hip stability: Weak glutes can't control landing forces

• Limited hip mobility: Restricted range creates compensation

• The Pattern: Right-handed hitters often develop right shoulder pain AND left hip pain from the asymmetrical demands of spiking and landing.

Who Gets It: Outside hitters, opposites (highest attack volume)

5. Ankle Sprains

The #1 acute injury in volleyball, often from landing on another player's foot or awkward movements at the net.

What It Feels Like:

• Immediate pain and swelling on outside of ankle

• Difficulty bearing weight

• Instability or feeling like ankle "gives out"

Why It Happens:

• Landing from blocks or attacks (especially at net with multiple players)

• Quick lateral movements during defense

• Fatigue late in matches (reduced neuromuscular control)

• Previous ankle sprains without proper rehab (chronic instability)

Who Gets It: All positions, but middles and outside hitters (frequent net play) have highest risk

6. Lower Back Pain

Common from repetitive jumping, landing, and arching during attacks.

What It Feels Like:

• Aching or sharp pain in lower back

• Worse with jumping, landing, or arching backward

• Stiffness after matches or sitting

Why It Happens:

• Extension overload: Arching back during approach and contact

• Landing impact: Compressive forces through spine

• Core weakness: Can't stabilize spine during dynamic movements

• Hip mobility limitations: Forces lower back to compensate

Who Gets It: All positions, but especially attackers who arch aggressively during hits

Position-Specific Injury Patterns

Outside Hitters/Opposites:

Highest risk: Shoulder (rotator cuff), knee (jumper's knee), hip (landing side)

Why: Highest hitting and jumping volume

Middle Blockers:

Highest risk: Knee (jumper's knee), ankle (net play), shoulder (blocking)

Why: High jump volume, quick lateral movements, frequent net contact

Setters:

Highest risk: Finger injuries, shoulder (overhead setting), lower back

Why: Repetitive overhead motion, jumping sets, quick movements

Liberos/Defensive Specialists:

• Highest risk: Shoulder (diving/passing), hip, lower back, ankle

• Why: Repetitive diving, quick lateral movements, low defensive positions

The Asymmetry Problem: Why Right Shoulder + Left Hip

For Right-Handed Hitters:

The Approach:

• Left-right-left footwork pattern

• Plant hard on left foot for takeoff

• Drive right knee up explosively

The Hit:

• Right arm accelerates to 60+ mph

• Right shoulder decelerates after contact (eccentric load on rotator cuff)

The Landing:

• Land preferentially on left leg

• Left hip absorbs majority of impact

• Repeated thousands of times per season

The Result: Right shoulder overuse (rotator cuff tendinopathy, impingement) + left hip overload (labral stress, hip flexor strain, pain with landing).

Why This Matters: Training and rehab must address these asymmetries specifically.

Warning Signs to Never Ignore

Early Warning Signs:

• Pain that requires extra warmup before playing

• Stiffness the day after matches or practices

• Compensatory movement patterns (limping, altered approach mechanics)

• Decreased jump height or hitting velocity

• One-sided tightness that doesn't resolve with stretching

Red Flags (Seek Help Immediately):

• Sharp pain that changes your technique

• Swelling that doesn't resolve in 24-48 hours

• Instability (ankle or knee "giving out")

• Night pain or pain at rest

• Pain lasting more than 7-10 days despite rest

How Chiropractic Care Helps Volleyball Players

At Endurance Therapeutics, we work with volleyball players at all levels — from youth club athletes to adult rec league players.

We Focus On:

• Movement assessment: Identifying landing mechanics, shoulder patterns, asymmetries

• Joint mobility: Restoring hip, shoulder, thoracic spine movement for better mechanics

• Injury prevention: Catching issues early before they sideline you

• Performance optimization: Better movement = higher jumps, faster arm speed, less fatigue

Preventative Care Matters: Most volleyball injuries build over weeks to months. Monthly check-ins during season can catch problems before they become chronic.

If you're dealing with knee pain, shoulder issues, or chronic soreness, don't wait until you can't play. Book an assessment with Dr. Keirstyn and let's identify what's breaking down before it sidelines your season.

What's Coming Next

In Part 2, we'll dive into building your volleyball body — the strength, mobility, and recovery strategies that keep you on the court and performing at your best. We'll cover position-specific training, asymmetry management, and what to do during tournament-heavy weekends.

📍 Endurance Therapeutics | Oakville, Ontario

📞 905-288-7161 | 🔗 https://endurance.janeapp.com/#staff_member/1

Stay tuned for Part 2: Building Your Volleyball Body - Training for Performance and Longevity