Volleyball Injuries and Coach Reporting - How Reporting Reduces Risks

Volleyball is one of the world’s most popular sports due to its simplicity and accessibility. Volleyball is played by over 200 million athletes nationwide and is one of the most popular high school sports in the United States. Historically, volleyball has yielded high participation in club teams, often leading to year-round participation and sports specialization. Sports specialization is participating in and/or training for a single sport year-round. With the increasing popularity of competitive youth leagues, sports specialization is becoming more common among young athletes.

Sport specialization has been associated with a significantly increased risk of injuries in youth athletes. In one study among high school athletes, highly specialized volleyball players were roughly 68-75% more likely to have a history of previous musculoskeletal injuries compared to low-specialization athletes. Both coaches and trainers should recognize the impact of volleyball sports specialization on injury risk. By properly documenting and reporting injuries, coaches can more effectively recognize injury trends, help athletes avoid potential injuries and better support their recovery process.

Injury reporting reduces liability for both the coaches and their organization and allows coaches and trainers to track injury trends and make decisions about how best to prevent and treat injuries. With proper injury reporting, coaches document injuries in real-time, which allows medical professionals to better diagnose and treat the injury. Despite the increased sports specialization, coaches can use this tool to manage sports safety and improve the athlete experience. 

Click here to learn more about InjureFree incident reporting and how to reduce the risk of injuries during volleyball season.

References

1. Biese, K. M., McGuine, T. A., Hernandez, M. I., Schaefer, D. A., Kliethermes, S., Brooks, M. A., . . . Bell, D. R. (2019). Injury history is associated with sport specialization level in high school volleyball athletes. Journal of Athletic Training, 54(6S), pp. S-113.
2. Documentation and record keeping in athletic training. Human Kinetics. (n.d.). https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/documentation-and-record-keeping-in-athletic-training
3. Volleyball faces an epidemic that is hurting the sport, local coaches say, and significant injuries are at the forefront. Dallas News. (2020, January 1). https://www.dallasnews.com/high-school-sports/volleyball/2019/11/01/volleyball-faces-an-epidemic-that-is-hurting-the-sport-local-coaches-say-and-significant-injuries-are-at-the-forefront/