Incidence, symptoms and diagnosis of jumper's knee and knee contusions in female college volleyball players

Abstract

[Purpose] There are no recent studies investigating the incidence of jumper's knee and knee contusions in volleyball players. A lack of understanding of knee contusions suffered by players (liberos) receiving the ball has lead doctors to diagnose jumper's knee. There have been no studies distinguishing between jumper's knee and knee contusions, which present similar symptoms. The purpose of this study was to investigate and correlate the two conditions of jumper's knee and knee contusions. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-one female volleyball players were assessed for their maximum jumping power, body weight, whether they performed broad (slide) spikes, and whether they often hit their knees and so on. [Results] Jumper's knee was found in either or both knees of 12 (57%) of 21 spikers. For knee contusions, symptoms were found in 5 of the 10 liberos and setters, who were confirmed to actually hit their knees by observing videotapes of their practice. [Conclusion] Symptoms resembling jumper's knee were discovered in 4 of 6 liberos. It was difficult to distinguish between jumper's knee and knee contusions in terms of their symptoms, except through observation of the players' actual performance. It is important to discriminate between the two conditions clinically for treatment (including physical therapy) and prevention.