Volleyball is a sport characterized by high loads on the lower extremities, with the knee joint, alongside the ankle, being among the most frequently affected structures. Due to the large number of repetitive jumps, landings, and rapid changes of direction, young volleyball players are particularly exposed to overuse knee injuries. The aim of this master’s thesis was to examine the occurences of these injuries, with a focus on patellar tendinopathy, Osgood–Schlatter disease, and patellofemoral pain syndrome, which commonly occur during periods of accelerated growth and increased training load. The study included 60 young volleyball players aged 13 to 17 years, who completed a retrospective questionnaire regarding previous knee injuries and training loads.
We found that 46, 6 % of young volleyball players had experienced a knee injury during their sporting career. The most common injury was patellar tendinopathy (46, 4 %), followed by Osgood–Schlatter disease (10, 71 %), while the remaining participants did not have a confirmed diagnosis. In the total sample, patellar tendinopathy was diagnosed in 21, 67 % of participants and Osgood–Schlatter disease in 1, 67 %. A higher number of injuries occurred in younger players (13–15 years), although the differences were not statistically significant. Similarly, no significant differences were found between sexes, despite male players reporting knee problems more frequently. Players with a higher training volume were injured more often; however, this association was not statistically significant. Based on the findings, we cannot conclude that strength and preventive training reduce the risk of knee injuries. A positive finding is that a greater proportion of athletes diagnosed with patellar tendinopathy performed strength training during the injury period. Nevertheless, more than half of the athletes did not include strength or preventive training in their training process during knee problems and continued with the same training load despite the onset of symptoms. Furthermore, more than two thirds of diagnoses were made outside the medical system.
The results highlight the importance of professional diagnosis followed by carefully planned, progressive loading and an individually adjusted training process in the event of injury. This research contributes to a better understanding of the occurances of the most common overuse knee injuries among young volleyball players and provides a professional basis for further research and the development of effective preventive approaches in youth sport.
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