What can be better than a day out in the sun at the beach? Many beaches now have volley ball nets so that games can be played at the beach. You can even go to the beach to watch beach volleyball tournaments.
Volleyball is the world’s most popular sport. It is estimated that there are over 800 million people worldwide who play the sport Part of the appeal is that it is an easy sport to play occasionally for fun. Whether it is a formal game or just a couple of friends playing around, everyone can enjoy themselves.
Are there any things that you should think about when joining in this sport? Yes, there are a few things for you to keep in mind.
Beach volleyball is obviously played in bare feet. The first problem is that there could be “foreign bodies” (still my favorite term!) in the sand. Before you start playing, you should take a minute to check the sand to make sure there isn’t anything that would cut or puncture your foot in the sand.
You can injure your foot, ankle, and legs playing beach volleyball. When you are playing in the sand, you are moving on a shifting surface and that can make your muscles work harder than normal.
The first and most common injury is a sprained ankle. The motions involved blocking and spiking (both of which involve jumping) can lead to injuries related to landing wrong on your ankle.
Another injury which is common is plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is the tendon that runs along the bottom of your foot and connects the heel to the toes. This tendon can get microscopic tears due to the repeated motions involved in jumping and running, common activities in volleyball.
Most of the injuries in beach volleyball are injuries to the soft tissues. This means sprains and strains and pulled tendons. All of these injuries are the type of injuries that are slower to heal and need patience during their recovery.
You can also injure your big toe playing in the sand. The shifting sands can lead to your big toe being caught and bent under your foot. This leads to the dorsal capsule being injured. When this happens, it is called turf toe. We have talked about turf toe before in relationship to basketball injuries. When you have turf toe from basketball, it is usually because the toe was bent up too far. In beach volleyball, it is when the toe is bent under the foot too far. If you want to read more about turf toe please see http://www.epsfootdocs.com/2012/11/basketball-toe-injuries.html
If you do get injured don’t forget RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation). If you can tolerate them, over the counter pain relievers can help also. Don’t try to go back in the action too fast – you will just end up off your feet longer. Let your body heal when you injure it.
One of the things that you can do to if you are injured is to go to your friendly local podiatrist and have the injury checked. It could be that you could benefit from having the doctor tape your foot or leg to help with healing and stability. The doctors are as interested as you are in getting you back out on that beach spiking and blocking.
As you know, I am a big fan of Evanston Podiatric Surgeons and Mag Mile Foot and Ankle Institute. I want to share with you a YouTube video that they have available. It gives you a chance to “get to know them”! Please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t2fy5uUJp0
The doctors and staff at Evanston Podiatric Surgeons and Mag Mile Foot and Ankle Institute wish you a safe and happy 4th of July.
Your Pal,
The Foot Blogger Chick
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to send them to footbloggerchick@gmail.com or leave them in the comment section below. I am not a doctor but I check with one before answering questions.
Trivia Question of the week – Who is the only individual to win a gold medal in the Olympics for indoor volleyball and outdoor volleyball?
Find the answer on our Facebook page – Evanston Podiatric Surgeons – on July 5th While you’re there, please take a moment to “like” us.
Or
Follow us on twitter – @EvPodiatric and the answer will be tweeted on Friday morning as well.
If you live or work downtown Chicago and would like to see one of the friendly podiatrists there, don’t worry! You can head over to the office on the “Magnificent Mile” in Chicago. Stop in and say “Hello”. They would love to meet you. They are really that friendly!
Mag Mile Foot and Ankle Institute
333 N. Michigan Avenue Suite 1825
Chicago, IL 60601
312-236-3507