Watching the world’s best tennis players compete against each other at the ongoing US Open Tennis Championship can be truly awe inspiring! Such seemingly effortless and graceful moves on the tennis court are made possible only by a rigorous & well-structured training program aimed at improving performance and avoiding injury. Let’s consider the most common tennis injuries and how to prevent them:
- Tennis Elbow: This is an overuse injury that affects the extensor muscle tendon on the outside of the elbow. Strengthening the outer forearm muscles, warming up properly before a game, and using proper technique while striking the ball will help reduce likelihood of developing a tennis elbow.
- Rotator Cuff Injury: The rotator cuff muscles position and stabilize the upper arm within the shoulder socket. Overuse of the rotator cuff muscles from repetitive overhead smashes or serving on the court can result in micro-tears that can cause increasing shoulder pain and immobility. Ensuring you don’t play too often will give the microtrauma a chance to heal and strengthening the rotator cuff muscles with resistance training 2-3 times can help prevent reinjury.
- Wrist Injury: Wrist pain is a common among tennis players and may be caused due to improper technique while hitting the ball and use of an inappropriate tennis racquet. To avoid this condition, choose a racquet appropriate for your age, size, and level of expertise; learn the proper technique, and work on improving wrist strength.
- Muscle Strains: Sudden movements and changes in direction while running can result in a pulled or strained muscle. A good warm up and gentle stretching can help reduce the risk of this type of an injury.
- Stress Fractures: Continuous pounding of your feet on the hard courts can result in the calf muscles becoming fatigued and excess stress being placed on the shinbone causing minute hairline cracks. Stress fractures are more commonly experienced in junior players as compared to professional players. To avoid this injury, make sure you are wearing well-fitting tennis shoes, getting enough rest, and slowly increase the intensity of your workouts.
If you have sustained a musculoskeletal injury that does not seem to be getting better with conservative treatment, contact the specialists at South Palm Orthopedics of an in-depth evaluation and personalized treatment recommendation.
South Palm Orthopedics is a medical practice devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of injuries and diseases of the body's musculoskeletal system. Our orthopedic surgeons have advanced fellowship training in the areas of hand & wrist, shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, trauma and fractures, foot and ankle, and sports medicine. The physicians of South Palm Orthopedics are committed to providing the highest level of orthopedic care to each and every patient each and every time.