Tennis is a fantastic way to stay active, improve your endurance and physical strength, and have a great time. With any sport, however, you run the risk of injury. With repetitive and explosive movements involved in tennis, this risk may be increased. With a few simple precautions and safety measures, you can keep yourself on the board and out of harm’s way. Parham Bridges is here to share the ins and outs of injury prevention for tennis players. After all, we want our tennis family to stay healthy and ready to enjoy all of our fun, tennis, mixers, tournaments, and activities.
Overuse injuries are perhaps the most frequent of tennis injuries. These are especially common in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and ankles. Here’s a quick note on what to watch for and how to prevent overuse in injuries from playing tennis.
Tennis elbow: Due to the repetitive motion of strokes and hitting the ball, it is common for tendons in your elbow to become inflamed; these tendons connect your forearm muscles to the outside of your elbow. A way to help prevent tennis elbow from occurring is to strengthen your forearm muscles with light resistance, bands, weights, and choose the right tennis racket for you. The grip size is incredibly important and you should choose a racket with a grip that’s not too small for your hand. A small grip makes you squeeze harder to hold on properly which can lead to inflammation.
Tennis shoulder injuries: Serves and overhead strokes can put a lot of strain on your shoulder and rotator cuff. Strengthening your upper back muscles and rotator cuff can help you prevent overuse injuries in this area. Similarly, learning how to use your body – including your legs and abs – for hits can help reduce strain and overuse on your shoulder.
Ankle sprains in tennis: All the sudden movements, quick motions, and cuts that tennis requires can damage and weaken your ankle muscles, leading to an increased likelihood of spraining your ankle. Make sure that your tennis shoes are specific to your court surface and provide ample coverage and support. Once you have endured an ankle injury, you are more likely to have another, so consider a light weight brace or tape your ankle if you are prone to ankle injuries.
Besides avoiding specific injuries, there are some simple good habits you can get into to prevent tennis injuries. Warming up and cooling down properly can help prepare your body, muscles, and tendons for action which can help prevent injury. Another good strategy for avoiding injuries is to diversify your workouts. Tennis is an explosive sport that requires sudden movements, strength, and endurance. Supplementing your tennis game with activities like cycling and weight training can help your body repair for the demands that tennis will place on it.
It’s also always important to listen to your body. If you have twitches and pain consistently, this is often a sign that an overuse injury is coming your way. Take a break or train in a different modality to give your body a break if you feel an injury coming on. Continuing to play can lead to a more serious injury, or one that requires serious medical attention.
Focusing on proper technique is important for your game and also for your body’s protection! If you’re looking to improve your technique, seek out the individual tennis lessons offered by our tennis pros at Parham Bridges. We can help you correct issues that can lead to injury while also perfecting your game.
