Elbow Injuries in Volleyball Players

As mentioned in my blogs throughout this semester, we have noticed how the knee and the shoulder take quite a bit of brutality throughout the sport of volleyball. The majority of the workloads are centered on those two joints, but an area of the body that we don’t give enough credit to is the elbow. This joint actually takes a lot of the brute force to provide the shoulder the energy it needs to provide a powerful kill shot.

A hinge joint just like the knee, the elbow only flexes and extends which is supported by multiple ligaments on either side of the joint. When the elbow is forced past its normal range of motion of flexion or extension, as well as injured from either side of those ligaments, damage can be done; tendons or muscles can also be strained due to injury.1,2

The injury discussed in this blog today is lateral epicondylitis, otherwise known as tennis elbow. This is a chronic injury that comes from overuse of the elbow; tendon damage occurs where the forearm muscles attach to the lateral epicondyle of the elbow.1 Signs and symptoms of this injury are pain on the outside of the elbow, strength deficits when lifting or grasping objects, and radiating pain down the arm.1,2,3 Direct impact or overuse of the forearm muscles are the more common causes of this injury occurring.1

Treatment options focus on the acronym RICE: which stands for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.1 Anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen can be prescribed to decrease the swelling and pain within the joint.1 Also, elbow braces can be used to put pressure on the distal end of the elbow to release the tension from the forearm muscles.1 Lastly, physical therapy can be extremely beneficial in the recovery process so that modalities such as ultrasound can be used to alleviate pain and strengthen muscles surrounding the joint.1

In conclusion, lateral epicondylitis is a very nagging-like injury that typically won’t go away on its own. It takes time, rest, and rehabilitation to truly resolve the pain.

References:

1.      Quinn, E. (2015, August 27). Do You Have Tennis Elbow? Retrieved November 6, 2015, from http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/elbow/a/elbow2.htm

2.      Elbow Injuries and Elbow Pain. (2014). Retrieved November 6, 2015, from http://softtissuecenter.com/elbow-injuries-and-elbow-pain/

3.      Volleyball is played by an estimated 800 million people in 130 countries. (2009). Retrieved November 6, 2015, from http://www.armrehab.com/non_surgical_sports_medicine_volleyball.html