Predicting and preventing common volleyball injuries with functional tests

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a compilation of screening tests best suited for predicting and preventing volleyball’s most common injuries. Research displays a gap in knowledge pertaining to volleyball-specific injury prevention tests. A literary analysis was completed for information regarding; correct volleyball techniques, incorrect techniques that are commonly observed, common injuries resulting from faulty technique, and tests best designed to prevent these injuries. It was found that knees and ankles were the two joints most often injured. These injuries mainly occurred during the landing phase of the jumping-landing sequence. Therefore, ankle and knee injury rates were higher in front row attackers and blockers. Because data is more abundant for these two joints, the tests that were studied place a greater emphasis on ankle and knee injury prediction. All the tests used were designed to imitate game-like movements to provide the best results. These included; multiple variations of a single leg hop test to observe leg strength, and ankle and knee control upon landing, single leg squat test and drop jump to display correct knee technique, and to expose hip strength, the groin flexibility test to potentially predict adductor strains, core strength screenings that tested both abdominal and lower back strength, and finally, shoulder mobility and control tests. In conclusion, due to the growing popularity of volleyball, definitive sport-specific tests should be put into place to help reduce injury rates and prevent injury-related participation restriction