Stretching: Can't put a band-aid on a muscle

My freshman year of college I strained / had a tear in my hamstring. I went from volleyball to basketball with zero down time. During the first scrimmage of the season in lay up lines I went up and there it happened.... Feels like a bad cramp if you have never strained or tore a muscle. It was an injury that nagged me all season. It drove me nuts because my teammates though I was just faking after a month went by and I was in the same boat of pain. I had the trainers give me exercises to do and lots of stretching. I even had to ride a bike twenty minutes before I started warm-ups to be extra warm.
     After an altercation with a teammate (we ran our mouths to each other) in practice the coach explained to me that it was hard for the other girls to understand I was really hurting and not faking. He said that if I was in a boot like for ankle they would never question my injury but because their was not a sign visibly of injury it seemed to the untrained mind I was faking being hurt.  There was no band-aid to put on it.
 There are no band-aids for muscle injuries. We can't treat a sore or injured muscle like we would a broke arm.  There are no casts for strained groins and there are no boots for tore biceps.  Understand how muscles work and be supportive of the muscle injury players.  After all who are we to judge who is hurt and who isn't. It is not our bodies!

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Stretching tip:  Quads 
The most overuse injury reported in volleyball athletes is patellar tendonitis or “jumper’s knee.” Jumping from a crouched position to block or spike a ball causes your quadriceps to contract and puts stress on your knees. Stretch your quads daily!

For more information on stretching for volleyball  

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