When playing volleyball, it always hurts my wrists.
Is this normal and do volleyball players just get used to it?
Volleyball is an active high-impact sport. Forcefully hitting the ball when you are passing can cause mild pain and stinging on the contact area. But this can cause sore and reddened arms and wrists. Volleyball players do get used to the slight sting of the ball’s contact.
However, you should not have persistent wrists pain when playing volleyball.
Your wrist pain could be contributed to by your technique. The pain could be addressed by making adjustments to your wrist movements. Wrists should be kept rigid with power coming from your fingers. However you should spread wide your fingers, with your arms relaxed.
In volleyball, the predominant power should not come from your wrists, but your legs and arms.
Try to get more power from your legs and arms when you jump to hit the ball. You can do this by bending your knees in to a crouch before jumping. Hold your arms low as you jump to create greater height. But speak with your coach about ways in which you can reduce this issue by changing your passing form.
If reviewing your technique does not reduce the pain, you could try incorporating a wrist guard into your practice. Wrist guards for volleyball are lightly padded elastic bands that provide a buffer between the wrist bones and the volleyball. This padding could reduce the severity of the pain when playing. You can purchase wrist guards through a variety of sports stores. To relieve short-term pain, it may be helpful to ice your wrists after playing. Ensure also that you stretch your wrists and hydrated before you play.
If pain persists, your wrist pain may be due to an injury.
Wrist injuries are among the most common injuries for professional volleyball players. Wrists are vulnerable to injury from contact with the ball and the risk of falling. If you have not suffered an acute injury from a fall, a strain could have been caused by overuse over a prolonged period of time.
Overuse injuries are frequent in the sport of volleyball and require time to recover. Wrist sprains can give rise to symptoms of swelling, bruising, loss of motion and weakness. You should consult your doctor, so that you can be physically examined and diagnosed.
Treatment will be dependent on your exact injury, and where the pain is located in your wrist. Your doctor may recommend a combination of physiotherapy, taping and rest. If a physical exam is not adequate to diagnose an injury, you may be referred for an MRI, arthrogram or, in extreme cases, an arthroscopy.
Aches that begin as nuisances can become significant injuries with time, so it is better that you consult your doctor in the near future if the problem persists. Your wrist may require time and rest to allow it to heal, so avoid playing volleyball frequently until the issue is resolved.
The same goes for almost any sport out there. The important thing is to make sure you identify the problem in advance and tackle it as soon as possible. You can play baseball, golf, tennis and still end up with a wrist injury. Getting back in any game can be as challenging as starting all over again so be patient and allow enough time for recovery.