Common Volleyball Injuries: What Every Player Should Know
Volleyball is a fast-paced sport that demands explosive jumping, quick changes of direction, repetitive overhead movements, and frequent diving. These demands can put significant stress on the shoulders, knees, ankles, and lower back.
At Lu Strength & Therapy, we work with athletes and volleyball players to help them recover from sports injuries, improve movement, build strength, and get back to the activities they enjoy.
Here are some of the most common volleyball injuries we see and what you should know about them.
Shoulder Injuries
Volleyball players perform hundreds of overhead movements through practices, games, serving, and spiking. Repetitive overhead activity can contribute to shoulder pain, rotator cuff irritation, shoulder impingement, and other overuse injuries.
Common symptoms include:
- Pain when serving or spiking
- Pain when lifting the arm overhead
- Shoulder weakness
- Reduced range of motion
- Pain that increases as you continue playing
A proper assessment can help determine whether your shoulder pain is related to strength, mobility, technique, training volume, or another underlying issue.
Knee Pain & Jumper’s Knee
Jumping is a major part of volleyball, making knee pain one of the most common complaints among volleyball athletes.
Repeated jumping and landing can place significant stress on the patellar tendon and surrounding structures. Patellar tendinopathy, commonly called jumper’s knee, can cause pain below the kneecap, particularly during jumping, squatting, or running.
Volleyball players may also experience other forms of knee pain related to training load, movement mechanics, muscle weakness, or previous injuries.
Physiotherapy can help identify the contributing factors and develop a progressive volleyball knee rehabilitation program designed around your sport.
Ankle Sprains
Landing from a jump near another player is one of the most common ways volleyball players sustain an ankle sprain.
An ankle sprain can cause:
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Pain with walking
- Reduced ankle mobility
- Difficulty jumping or changing direction
- A feeling of instability
Even when an ankle sprain feels better after a few days, returning to volleyball too quickly can increase the risk of reinjury.
A proper ankle sprain rehabilitation program should address mobility, strength, balance, proprioception, jumping, landing, and sport-specific movement before returning to full competition.
Muscle Strains
The explosive nature of volleyball can also lead to muscle strains, particularly in the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip muscles.
Sudden acceleration, jumping, landing, and rapid changes in direction can place high demands on these muscles.
Rehabilitation should gradually restore strength and power rather than simply waiting for the pain to disappear.
Lower Back Pain
Repeated jumping, landing, twisting, and overhead movements can contribute to lower back pain in volleyball players.
Back pain may be influenced by factors such as:
- Limited hip or thoracic mobility
- Poor load management
- Reduced core strength
- Training volume
- Repetitive extension and rotation
- Previous injuries
A sports physiotherapy assessment can help identify the factors contributing to your back pain and determine the appropriate treatment and exercise plan.
Finger & Hand Injuries
Volleyball players frequently deal with finger sprains, jammed fingers, dislocations, and other hand injuries, particularly when blocking or receiving the ball.
While some finger injuries appear minor, persistent swelling, pain, deformity, or limited movement should be assessed by a qualified healthcare professional.
When Should You See a Physiotherapist for Volleyball Pain?
Consider booking a sports physiotherapy assessment if:
- Pain is affecting your ability to practice or compete
- Your symptoms keep returning
- You have lost strength or mobility
- You recently suffered an ankle, knee, shoulder, or other sports injury
- You are struggling to return to volleyball after an injury
- You want to reduce your risk of future injuries
You don’t have to wait until an injury completely stops you from playing.
Early assessment can help identify potential problems and give you a clear plan for recovery.
Volleyball Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Rehabilitation in Toronto
If you’re dealing with volleyball-related shoulder pain, knee pain, ankle pain, muscle injuries, or another sports injury, our team at Lu Strength & Therapy can help.
We provide physiotherapy, sports rehabilitation, strength and conditioning, chiropractic care, and sports massage therapy to help athletes recover and perform at their best.
Our goal isn’t simply to get you out of pain. It’s to help you build back the strength, mobility, and confidence needed to return to volleyball.
Dealing with a volleyball injury? Book an assessment with our team and let’s get you back on the court.