Biomechanics and Management of Shoulder Injuries in Volleyball: From Risk Factors to Prevention and Rehabilitation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/6z8b2944Keywords:
Shoulder injury, volleyball, biomechanics, rehabilitation.Abstract
Volleyball includes repetitive overhead movements such as spiking and serving, which place extremely high demands on the shoulder joint, leading to a high incidence of injuries. This article reviews the specific biomechanical loads, epidemiological characteristics, training-related risk factors, injury mechanisms and prevention strategies of shoulder injuries in volleyball players. During the puncture, the shoulder joint undergoes significant external rotation and abduction, accompanied by high impact forces, increasing the risk of chronic and acute injury. Clinical manifestations usually include pain, limited movement and loss of strength, and are diagnosed as impingement syndrome, rotator cuff tear and lip lesions. Epidemiological evidence indicates that the incidence of shoulder pain in volleyball and other overhead sports is very high. Due to the large volume of training and insufficient recovery, the risk is particularly high among outstanding athletes and young people. Training volume, technical errors, muscle imbalance and insufficient recovery will further increase the risk of injury. Effective prevention requires a multi-faceted approach, including strength training, scapular stability exercises and dynamic chain optimization. This review integrates current evidence on sports biomechanics, training load, and clinical outcomes to clarify the mechanism of shoulder joint injuries in volleyball and propose targeted prevention and rehabilitation strategies.
Downloads
References
[1] Miura K, Tsuda E, Kogawa M, et al. The effects of ball impact position on shoulder muscle activation during spiking in male volleyball players. JSES International, 2020, 4(2): 302-309.
[2] Doweir A M, Mashaal A, Basha S A Z, et al. Effect of modified mobilization with movement and motor learning on volleyball females players with shoulder impingement syndrome. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2025, 14: 200.
[3] Zarei M, Eshghi S, Hosseinzadeh M, et al. The effect of a shoulder injury prevention program on proprioception and dynamic stability of young volleyball players; a randomized controlled trial. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2021, 13(1): 71.
[4] Pawlik D, Dziubek W, Rogowski Ł, et al. Strength abilities and serve reception efficiency of youth female volleyball players. Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, 2022, 2022: 4328761.
[5] Pastor M F, Smith T, Struck M, et al. Stability versus mobility of the shoulder. Biomechanical aspects in athletes. Der Orthopade, 2014, 43(3): 209-214.
[6] Howard K J, Galloy A E, Schmitz D G, et al. Ball-to-hand contact forces increase modeled shoulder torques during a volleyball spike. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 2023, 22(3): 488-495.
[7] Liaghat B, Pedersen J R, Husted R S, et al. Diagnosis, prevention and treatment of common shoulder injuries in sport: grading the evidence. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023, 57(7): 408-416.
[8] Shih Y F, Wang Y C, et al. Spiking kinematics in volleyball players with shoulder pain. Journal of Athletic Training, 2019, 54(1): 90-98.
[9] Kirchhoff C, Imhoff A B, et al. Posterosuperior and anterosuperior impingement of the shoulder in overhead athletes: evolving concepts. International Orthopaedics, 2010, 34(7): 1049-1058.
[10] Ghayyad K, Osbahr D C, et al. Elbow injuries in baseball players: an orthopedic perspective. The Archives of Bone and Joint Surgery, 2024, 12(11): 742-745.
[11] Challoumas D, Stavrou A, Dimitrakakis G, et al. The volleyball athlete's shoulder: biomechanical adaptations and injury associations. Sports Biomechanics, 2017, 16(2): 220-237.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

