Why Women Wear Knee Pads In Volleyball

Protective equipment is commonly used in many sports. It includes the helmets worn by baseball batters and cyclists, the shoulder pads of football players and the knee pads worn in women's volleyball. The human knee is a very complex structure formed at the interface of three bones--the femur, tibia and patella--and including four ligaments, several tendons, delicate cartilage and the overlying skin. Women's volleyball is typically played on hard wood floors, and the game is fast paced. The knee is the body part most prone to injury in women's volleyball.

Knee Risks

The human knee is a highly specialized joint that allows both flexion and extension of the lower leg. Knees are subject to tremendous forces when running, jumping, changing direction and stopping. When bent to its fully flexed position, the skin on the front of the knee is pulled taught over the knee cap, or patella, and easily subject to laceration and friction burn. The interior ligaments on the sides of the knee, called medial and lateral collateral ligaments, as well as those inside the knee, the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, are also subject to injury.

Incidence of Knee Injuries in Volleyball

The most commonly injured ligaments in the knee as the result of rapid starts, stops and direction changes are the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments. Tearing of cartilage within the knee, including both the medial and lateral meniscus cartilage, are also frequently caused by the pivoting and twisting movements common in volleyball. Finally, superficial skin injuries and deeper connective tissue injuries can be caused by hard contact with the floor, which may occur either accidentally or as the result of specific volleyball play actions.

Knee-Stressing Plays

The collapse is a play sometimes used in volleyball. The player falls to the floor, knees first, when attempting to reach a ball that falls short of its originally anticipated position.

The sprawl is used when defending against a ball that lands in front of the player, and involves lunging forward from a standing position.

The dive is a move very similar to the sprawl but reaches greater heights, and results in harder landings.

The crossover step is a blocking technique that places significant force on the knee ligaments and involves the player rotating her hips during the movement while her feet remain in place.

The Dig

The dig, a move used to prevent the ball from touching the court floor, frequently involves the player throwing herself forward in an outstretched position parallel to the floor. This move typically ends with the player colliding with the floor in a hard landing, with most of the force taken by the knees and the chest. The dig can result in traumatic blunt force injury to the skin, connective tissue and kneecap, or in friction burns if the landing results in a slide.

Benefits

Properly constructed and fitted knee pads can help to both stabilize the knee and cushion it from contact with the hardwood playing surface in women's volleyball. Knee pads with front bubble designs or thick foam pads are the most effective in reducing blunt force injuries. The well fitted elastic material comprising the sides of the knee pads can help provide stability to the knee, although such protection is minimal. Knee pads should allow the knee to move through its full range of motion.