Volleyball Journey - Part 1

Alex starts her first year at college, after choosing to take a couple years off to travel around the world. After spending time in many different countries and cities, working part time in pubs or whatever she could get, she is looking forward to getting back into a routine and get the degree she has always wanted. 

 

She got accepted into a college which has a speciality program for volleyball players. She excelled during her junior years of volleyball and was given the opportunity to try out for the team in the first week of the year. All the girls who tried out were very nice to her, welcoming her to the college and we very interested in hearing about her travels. The coaching team was fantastic, they had many years of experience between them and had taken the team to the championships several times. Sam, one of the coaching staff, a relatively young guy, only completing his degree the previous year, was also the team physio. He had one assistant, Andrew who was 2 years into completing his bachelor of science majoring in human anatomy. Both seemed like genuinely nice people. The do the standard meet and greet with the team and go over some basics for maintaining fitness and health. After wards they girls are all given a questionnaire to complete asking about previous injuries they may had had or ongoing issues, or just any slight concerns. 

 

Alex had been fortunate to have very few injuries, aside from the occasional jammed finger and grazed knee here and there, her history was clean. 

 

The season always started with some gruelling training, long hours at the end of the day, with the team working on different attack and offensive sets, the added fitness training and of course match ups between the different ranking teams within the college. 

 

Week 4 and the week before their first game the team is training in the gymnasium as usual. Both female teams are present with the senior girls, using the court for the first part of the training while the junior team warms up on the sidelines. They swap around and the junior girls go out to run through some sets, working some basics as they build up their team work. Alex definitely isn’t the tall long legged volleyball player most come to expect, at only 5”7” she is one of the shorter girls on the team. But her looks are deceiving, she has a leap and jump that pushes far above the net. The coaches use her speed on the ground and have her position herself so that she can be used as a utility player. Her speed in defence and fast reaction and her ability to set and or spike unknowingly catching the opponents of guard. Finally, both teams are on the court ready for a trial match up to sew how the junior team is developing. Alex although experienced had been placed in the junior team to help develop some of the junior players. 

 

The junior girls struggle for positioning initially until the start to find their rhythm and manage to regain some points. The first game goes to the senior girls quite convincingly. Half way through the second set, and Bree sets for Alex to attack from and un orthodox position to take the point. As they set for the next point the senior girls go straight on the attack, Alex shimmy’s to the right to reach the ball and just catches her right sneaker on the ground, as the weight shifts she slightly goes over on her right ankle. She recovers from the imbalance and makes the shot, and the junior girls go on to win the point. The celebrate briefly, while Alex feels a small amount of pain in her ankle. She leans over to have a bit of feel around the ankle and rotates it around. Bree asks her if she is alright, “I think so, I think I just slightly rolled it”, before they knew it Sam was on the court asking what was going on. Alex explains, and Sam decides to take her off to investigate further and not push it, after all it’s only a training session and the team needs her next week. 

 

Alex exits the court by her own means, walking with a slight limp. Sam gets her seated on the bench and takes a kneel in front of her. He takes her left foot and ankle in his hands and starts to prod and twist the ankle in calculated positions testing the range of motion. “well it feels minor which is good news, I would say a slight over extension. We will rest you for the rest of the night and see how you pull up in the morning”

 

Sam grabs an ice pack just as a precaution and hands it to Alex to rest on her ankle as she elevates in on the chair next to her. Her ankle continues to be a little sore throughout the night when she moves it in certain positions, but there is no associated swelling, so she thinks little of it. The next morning, she awakens, and her ankle feels fine and goes on with her daily routine. 

 

3 more days of training and then a day’s rest before their first game. 

 

The first game comes and goes, quite a poor performance from the junior side, which has Alex a little frustrated because she knows she is better than the rest of the team but has also taken it upon herself to take the coaches advice and help mentor them.

 

8 weeks later and the team is playing a lot better, now functioning as a team, they have managed two wins in a row, and one very close loss. They now have a one week break before the next game, and the girls are given a few days off to relax and recover after a gruelling 8 weeks. 

 

Week 10 arrives, and they are matched up against last year’s champions. As normal they watch the senior girls play first and then it’s their turn. They get off to a fantastic start, showing the carry over champions that they will have a real battle this year to hold their title. 1-0 and the girls are on fire, as they hit every shot with exact precision. Lara sets for Alex who springs into action, leaping high she spikes the ball, picking out a perfect hole in the opponent’s defence. 

 

As she goes to land, her right foot ends up just under the net and catches the foot of an opponent player, as her body weight shifts down her right ankle rocks outwards sharply. Her left foot comes down to catch her as she lands, she instantly springs her right foot upwards, reacting from the sharp pain from her ankle. She balances on her left foot gently resting her right foot down flat on the floor. Thinking she may have just rolled it a bit again, she turns around slightly and tries some weight on it gently.

As soon as she tries to bare weight and searing pain radiates from her ankle. “Ahh, that doesn’t feel good.”

 

Lara and Bree come to her aid, as they see her clutching her right leg with her right hand and balancing on her left foot. “Are you ok Alex,” Lara asks concerned that she saw her land awkwardly.

“I think I have twisted my ankle pretty bad.”

Bree waves to the trainers, and Sam and Andrew jump to action. They make their way onto the court as the referee calls a time out. Sam and Andrew missed the incident, and immediately ask Alex what had happened. She explains that she landed on someone’s foot after the spike and felt her right ankle roll outwards. 

“Can you put any weight on it” Sam asks. 

 

Alex positions her foot with the assistance of Sam on her right side and tries some weight, she manages a step or two with a very heavy limp. “Ok I have seen enough no more weight for now. Andrew gets on the other side of Alex and we will help her hop off to the bench.”

 

They help her as she hops off to the side of the court. Sam helps her to sit down while Andrew scurries off to grab and ice pack. Alex supports her leg as Sam positions a chair and then helps her raise her right foot up onto the chair. Sam has a quick look at the ankle and can see swelling already appearing on the lateral side of the ankle. The long black sock she is wearing covers the ankle and lower leg almost up to her knee. Andrew returns with the ice, some athletic wrap and crutches. Sam decides to leave the shoe on for now and immediately get the ice pack on there. With Andrew supporting Alex’s ankle, Sam places the ice pack on her ankle, and then secures it in place with the athletic wrap. “Ok let’s leave that ice on for 20 mins and then we can reassess. If you have to get up make sure you stay off it and use the crutches, otherwise just keep it elevated and still for now.”

“Ok”, Alex thanks them for the assistance. 

 

The ice works well at numbing the pain initially, after about 10 minutes Alex is just watching the game as if she was a spectator. The junior girls finish the game and end up going on to win, which is fantastic. The girls all come to see how she is doing, as do Sam and Andrew. Everyone takes a seat in preparation for the men’s game. Sam suggests they move Alex to the trainer’s area just off the end of the court. “I’ll leave you in Andrews capable hands for the moment, and I’ll come over and take a look shortly.”

 

“ok great”, Alex replies. 

 

“have you used crutches before?” Andrew asks as he helps Alex lower her right foot down to the ground. “No, I haven’t” she smiles. 

“Ok well crash course then, I have adjusted the height to suit you already, these pads go up under the arm pit area and then your arms hold the handles down lower. Basically, you want to move the crutches together while you balance on the good foot and then balance on the crutches as you move the good foot forward. Sounds simple right?”

 

Alex smiles, “Ok let me have ago”

Andrew helps her to stand slowly and then helps her position the crutches accordingly. Slowly she starts to move the crutches forward first then her left foot etc etc. 

 

“A natural I think”, Andrew comments.

 

Alex’s makes her way to the trainer’s table holding her right ankle up just behind her as she smoothly crutches step by step. She rests the crutches against the table and hops on her left foot as she sits herself up onto the table. She slides back and with Andrews help he supports her right ankle as she lifts her foot up onto the table. Now sitting on the table leaning back with both her legs out in front of her.

“ok let’s get this shoe and sock off so Sam can have a closer look.”

Andrew starts with the athletic wrap and ice pack, with Alex’s help she supports her lower leg while Andrew removes the wrap and ice pack. Andrew then starts to loosen the shoe laces as much as possible gently feeding them back through the eyelets on the shoe. He slowly works the shoe free from her foot, exposing her socked size 7 foot. Once the shoe is removed a noticeable lump is evident on the outer ankle. 

“Ok now the hard part, getting that long sock off.”

 

Alex helps by working the sock down from just below her knee so that she can continue to hold her leg up while Andrew removes the sock. Bit by bit he works the sock down until it tightens over the ankle. He takes hold of the back of the sock and slowly works it over the ankle, trying to minimise the pain, but Alex can’t help but wince in pain as the pressure of the sock causes her more pain.

 

A few short moments and the sock is totally removed. Andrew rests Alex’s heel in the cup of his hand as he places down the sock, and notices how beautiful her foot is. She has model like feet, slim but nicely filled out and shapely. The tops and soles of her feet are very soft, and her toes are perfectly shaped and painted bright blue. Before Andrew even gets a word in, Alex makes a comment. “Well at least I had a pedicure yesterday” as she smiles. 

 

Andrew has a little smile and giggle.

 

Sam pipes up as he approaches, “Let’s take a look at this ankle”

He moves into place as Andrew relinquishes his hold of Alex’s foot, and starts to do an assessment of the ankle. Moving it in various positions, testing the range of motion and pain levels. Alex lets out a few moans of pain as her ankle is manipulated. Sam draws his attention to the swelling which is very noticeable on the outer ankle, about the size of a golf ball. 

“Ok not too bad, which is good, I’m thinking somewhere between a bad grade 1 and minor grade 2 sprain.”

He turns to Andrew and says, “Let’s get that ankle bandaged and in an air cast and we will reassess in 2 days” as Andrew starts to dig through his medical bag. 

 

“Ok Alex, I want you to stay off the ankle for the next two days, 100% crutches all the time and we will take a look at training in 2 day’s time and see how it’s going”

 

Alex nods, “Ok sounds good”.

 

Sam gently places her foot on the table, and then hands back over to Andrew. Andrew starts by wrapping the ankle in a 3” ace bandage, making sure to leave the toes and a small portion of the heel exposed. He then shows Alex how to fit the air cast stirrup brace. 

 

He helps her up and she grabs the crutches. And makes her way back to her team mates. That night Alex is helped back to her room on campus by one of her teammates, making sure she is ok. Being an older student at the campus, she was lucky enough to get her own room, which makes getting around a little easier. 

 

That night she showers and re-bandages her ankle, and then puts the air cast back on before heading to bed. 

 

In the morning she awakens, her ankle is throbbing a bit more than the night before, but she has managed to get a pretty good sleep. She removes the air cast and bandage to have a look at her ankle. She straight away notices that the golf ball sized lump had reduced but the outer ankle in a whole looked more swollen, the outer ankle bone was just recognisable. She readies herself for class as normal and then re-wraps her ankle and puts the brace back on before heading out. That afternoon she watches the girls at practice from the sidelines, her ankle raised on a chair, with ice on it complements of Andrew, and her crutches nearby. 

 

The next day is much the same, but at training Sam comes over to see how she is going. He removes the brace and bandage to get a closer look and the swelling has reduced a small amount but still swollen on the outer ankle. There is a thin line of bruising visible at the base of her foot just below the outer ankle bone. 

 

“Ok it looks pretty good so far, what I want you to do over the next few days is to start weight bearing with the crutches at first for support and then do away with the crutches when you are comfortable. Make sure to keep the bandage and brace on at all times when weight bearing.”

 

“Ok thanks Sam, I will do that. Do you think I will be able to play next week?”

 

“If you are 100% weight bearing by Monday, 5 days away, we will get you into some light training and see how it goes before the game on Wednesday, ok”

 

“Ok, thanks again”

 

Alex follows Sam’s directions, day by day she is weight bearing more and after only 5 days since the injury she is crutch free and walking quite well. The swelling had reduced significantly by this stage and she was relatively pain free.