Preventing Ankle Injuries in Volleyball
It’s widely known that ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries of volleyball players. Injuries of this type cause a lot of problems and stress to professional volleyball players. If a volleyball player gets an ankle injury then he/she usually has to skip volleyball practices as well as volleyball matches for a certain period of time.
Keep in mind that it may take a volleyball player a long time to recover from an ankle injury. That means that ankle injuries are likely to have a big negative impact on volleyball player’s performance and sport career. That’s the reason why volleyball players have to do everything they can to prevent ankle injuries.
In this blog, we will share some insights into preventing ankle injuries in volleyball. First of all, we will tell you about different types of ankle injuries. After that, we’ll tell you how ankle injuries occur. Also, we’ll explain to you what needs to be done for preventing different types of ankle injuries in volleyball. Finally, we’ll talk about stretches that help prevent ankle injuries from happening.
Different Types of Ankle Injuries
You should know that there are different types of ankle injuries. Among the most common forms of ankle injuries are: a sprained ankle, ankle ligament damage as well as broken ankle. Below, we’ll tell you about each form of ankle injury in detail.
1) Let’s start with a sprained ankle. In fact, it’s hard to find a volleyball player who has never had a sprained ankle. Unfortunately, every professional volleyball player gets this form of ankle injury from time to time.
It’s worth noting that a sprained ankle can become a big problem for a volleyball player. A sprained ankle results in such negative consequences as pain, reduced mobility and inflammation.
When volleyball players get an ankle injury they usually prefer to rest a few days. Athletes can also take advantage of a compression based ankle support to reduce inflammation. All of this helps athletes recover from an ankle injury successfully and return back to the court.
2) Ankle ligament damage is another type of ankle injury. This problem may happen with a volleyball player when an ankle ligament is damaged.
It may take a long time for an athlete to recover from ankle ligament damage. Sometimes, volleyball players have to undergo a surgery to repair the damaged ligaments. Plus, an athlete has to focus on doing exercises that strengthen the joint. By doing this, they can prevent ankle ligament damage from happening in the future.
3) Broken ankle is one of the most serious problems that volleyball player may face during a sport career. Oftentimes, broken ankle requires surgery. After that, a volleyball player has to wait long until a broken ankle heals properly. And of course, an athlete should focus on strengthening the joint after treatment. This is something that helps prevent ankle injuries in the future.
How Do Ankle Injuries Happen?
It’s crucial for volleyball players to have an understanding of how ankle injuries occur. The reality is you’ll be able to reduce the risk of getting an injury significantly if you know how ankle injuries happen and take all the necessary preventive measures.
In most cases, ankle injuries in volleyball occur when a volleyball player lands after attacking. It’s also important to know that an athlete is at higher risk of getting an ankle injury if he/she had an injury in the past 6-12 months. Keep in mind that proper rehabilitation plays a very important role in preventing ankle injuries.
Ankle injuries usually happen when a volleyball player lands on the foot of his/her teammate or opponent. Such situations usually happen after attacking. An attacker lands on the court after carrying out an attack hit. After that, a blocker lands on the foot of the opponent’s attacker.
Tips for Preventing Ankle Injuries in Volleyball
It goes without saying that volleyball players have to do everything possible to prevent ankle injuries and avoid their negative consequences. Now, we would like to give you some tips that you need to follow for preventing different types of ankle injuries in volleyball.
– First and foremost, you need to learn the proper taking off and landing techniques. By doing this, you’ll be able to minimize the risk of getting an injury during attacks and blocking.
– Proprioceptive training has to be a part of a volleyball player’s warm up. The main goal of proprioceptive training is to improve a volleyball player’s balance and stability. You should spend about 5 minutes on proprioceptive training. It’s a great idea to do such exercises as balance boards, bosu, ladder drills, mini squats as well as trampolines. As a result, you’ll be able to improve your coordination and reduce the risk of getting ankle injuries significantly.
– Proper rehabilitation is incredibly important for preventing ankle injuries. Therefore, if you have got an ankle injury then you shouldn’t return back to the court quickly. Spend as much time on rehabilitation as you need. Resume your volleyball practices only if you have recovered from an ankle injury properly. This will help you prevent reinjures.
– Take advantage of braces and tapes. It’s crucial for you to know that volleyball players choose to use braces and tapes to prevent injuries successfully. Braces and tapes provide ankles with reliable protection. It also makes a lot of sense to use braces and tapes if your ankle has already been injured. By doing so, you’ll be able to minimize the risk of reinjures significantly.
– Do stretches to prevent ankle injuries. You can easily prevent ankle injuries by doing special stretches on the regular basis.
Stretches for Preventing Ankle Injuries
As it was mentioned above, stretches are incredibly important for preventing ankle injuries. However, volleyball players should do the right type of stretches to prevent any type of ankle injuries. Such stretches as ankle alphabet, ankle rolls, ankle dorsiflexion, ankle inversion, single leg calf raises and single leg hops need to be a part of a volleyball player’s training program. You should do these stretches to increase ankle strength and prevent different types of ankle injuries. However, it’s very important for volleyball players to do this type of stretches regularly to achieve great results. Now, we’ll tell you about stretches that volleyball players need to do for preventing different types of ankle injuries.
Ankle Alphabet
It’s easy to do such a stretch for preventing ankle injuries as Ankle Alphabet. First of all, an athlete has to sit either on a chair or on the floor. The next step you need to take is to lift your leg into the air. Now, you need to use your toes to draw the letter in the air. It’s up to you how much time you need to spend on this exercise. After that, you should change your foot and repeat everything once again.
Ankle Rolls
You need to sit on a chair or floor first. After that, you should lift your leg into the air. Your task is to make small, medium and large circles by rolling your ankle.
Ankle Dorsiflexion
This stretch requires a pole and a resistance band. Initially, you need to sit on the floor and extend your leg. A resistance band has to be connected to your leg and to the poll. You should pull your foot back first. After that, you need to return your foot to its initial position. Do this type of stretch 50 times and then change your leg and do this exercise once again.
Ankle Inversion
The stretch of this type requires a resistance band and a pole too. First of all, you should sit on the floor and extend your leg. At one end, a resistance band will connect your foot. At the other end, a resistance band will connect a pole. Now, you need to pull your foot inward. After that, you should return your foot to the initial position. Do this stretch 50 times and then change your leg and repeat everything once again.
Single Leg Calf Raises
You’ll find it easy to do this stretch. All that you need to raise your calf. Doing this stretch on a regular basis will help you strengthen your ankle and prevent any type of injuries. You need to do this exercise 20 times. Finally, you’ll need to switch your legs and do the same once again.
Single Leg Hops
This exercise is easy to do. You should jump on one leg. However, you need to focus on ankle when jumping. In other words, you should use muscles of the ankle to take off. Doing this type of exercise will help you improve your ankle stability.
Thank you so much for reading our article. We have provided with everything that you need to know about preventing ankle injuries. Follow our tips and do stretches for preventing ankle injuries on a regular basis. This will help you prevent ankle injuries and stay healthy! Good luck!