Mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball: a systematic video analysis of social media footage

Furkan Soy; Ozan Pehlivan; Mustafa Bulut

Mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball: a systematic video analysis of social media footage

Abstract

Aims: Although volleyball is a widely played sport worldwide, players are at risk for lower extremity injuries, particularly ankle injuries. Repetitive jumping and landing, as well as sudden changes of direction, predispose players to lateral ankle sprains. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball players using systematic video analysis. Methods: A systematic search was conducted on YouTube, Facebook, and X platforms in March 2026 using the keywords "volleyball ankle injury", "volleyball ankle sprain", "volleyball landing injury", and "volleyball ankle inversion injury". Seventy six injury videos meeting the inclusion criteria were evaluated independently and in a blinded manner by three orthopedic surgeons. Injuries were classified according to activity type, contact mechanism, foot position, and landing type. Inter-observer agreement was evaluated using the Fleiss kappa coefficient. Results: The majority of injuries occurred during landing after a block (47.4%) and a spike (44.7%), while injuries during a serve or positioning or running were observed more rarely (3.9%, 3.9%). An indirect contact mechanism was observed in 52 cases (68.4%), and a non-contact mechanism in 24 cases (31.6%). In the biomechanical evaluation, hindfoot varus was detected in 70 cases (92.1%), and single-leg landing was observed in 54 cases (71%). Inter-observer agreement was found to be at an excellent level (κ=0.91). Conclusion: Lateral ankle injuries in volleyball players are particularly concentrated in the landing phase after a block and a spike. Hindfoot varus and single-leg landing are significant biomechanical factors that increase the risk of injury. Indirect contact mechanisms play a determining role in injuries, associated with players landing on the foot of an opponent or a teammate. These findings may contribute to the development of targeted injury prevention strategies by emphasizing the importance of landing control, neuromuscular training, and spatial awareness in volleyball players.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

None

Ethical Statement

Ethics Committee Approval Ethical approval was not required as this study is a review article Informed Consent All participants signed and free and informed consent form in this study. Conflict of Interest Statement The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Financial Disclosure The authors declared that this study has received no financial support. Author Contributions FS and OP conceptualized the study. FS and MB made the data curation. Formal analysis was made by FS and OP, and funding acquisition was made by MB. The investigation was done by FS and OP. The methodology was constructed by OP, FS and MB. FS was the project administrator and study resources were provided by FS. MB were the supervisors, and validation was done by OP. The visualization and writing-original draft were done by FS and MB, and writing-review and editing were done by MB. All authors read and approved the final manuscript and consented to publish this manuscript. All of the authors declare that they have all participated in the design, execution, and analysis of the paper and that they have approved the final version.

Thanks

None

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Biomechanics in Sports Science, Injury Prevention

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Furkan Soy ^*
0000-0002-3513-8240
Türkiye

Ozan Pehlivan
0000-0002-2292-922X
Türkiye

Mustafa Bulut
0000-0001-6375-8247
Türkiye

Publication Date

June 25, 2026

Submission Date

March 18, 2026

Acceptance Date

April 16, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 7 Number: 3

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA44GC42HP

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Soy, F., Pehlivan, O., & Bulut, M. (2026). Mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball: a systematic video analysis of social media footage. Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care, 7(3), 452-456. https://izlik.org/JA44GC42HP

AMA

1.Soy F, Pehlivan O, Bulut M. Mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball: a systematic video analysis of social media footage. J Med Palliat Care / JOMPAC / jompac. 2026;7(3):452-456. https://izlik.org/JA44GC42HP

Chicago

Soy, Furkan, Ozan Pehlivan, and Mustafa Bulut. 2026. “Mechanisms of Lateral Ankle Injuries in Volleyball: A Systematic Video Analysis of Social Media Footage”. Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care 7 (3): 452-56. https://izlik.org/JA44GC42HP.

EndNote

Soy F, Pehlivan O, Bulut M (June 1, 2026) Mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball: a systematic video analysis of social media footage. Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care 7 3 452–456.

IEEE

[1]F. Soy, O. Pehlivan, and M. Bulut, “Mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball: a systematic video analysis of social media footage”, J Med Palliat Care / JOMPAC / jompac, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 452–456, June 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA44GC42HP

ISNAD

Soy, Furkan - Pehlivan, Ozan - Bulut, Mustafa. “Mechanisms of Lateral Ankle Injuries in Volleyball: A Systematic Video Analysis of Social Media Footage”. Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care 7/3 (June 1, 2026): 452-456. https://izlik.org/JA44GC42HP.

JAMA

1.Soy F, Pehlivan O, Bulut M. Mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball: a systematic video analysis of social media footage. J Med Palliat Care / JOMPAC / jompac. 2026;7:452–456.

MLA

Soy, Furkan, et al. “Mechanisms of Lateral Ankle Injuries in Volleyball: A Systematic Video Analysis of Social Media Footage”. Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care, vol. 7, no. 3, June 2026, pp. 452-6, https://izlik.org/JA44GC42HP.

Vancouver

1.Furkan Soy, Ozan Pehlivan, Mustafa Bulut. Mechanisms of lateral ankle injuries in volleyball: a systematic video analysis of social media footage. J Med Palliat Care / JOMPAC / jompac [Internet]. 2026 Jun. 1;7(3):452-6. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA44GC42HP