Summer’s Serve of Tennis Injuries: Do You Need to See a TENNIS Physio?
There is always an exciting buzz around Melbourne at this time of year as the Australian Open hits town. All eyes turn to Melbourne Park as the best tennis athletes of the world come to slog it out in the heat to try and get their hands on that grand slam title. At the same time many of us pick up a tennis racquet and have a hit, although usually with more modest ambitions…
Every year we see some of our favourite players go down with injuries: sprained ankles, hip issues (Andy Murray comes to mind here), shoulder problems and knee injuries to name a few. But how good are we at looking after ourselves when we are out on the court?
A study that looked at recreational tennis players over 6 months, with an average age of 49 years, found that over 50% of them got injured! If this sounds like you, seeing one of our physiotherapists can help you get back on the court as soon as possible.
How Can We Help Common Tennis Injuries at Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy?
Here at Melbourne Sports we have several practitioners with expertise in treating sporting injuries. Due to our reputation with sporting injuries, we regularly see patients with tennis injuries (especially at this time of year!) – these injuries can range from a sprained ankle to persistently painful shoulder.
Using our rigorous assessment model and detailed treatment plan, we have excellent success with getting patient’s back on the court.
Common Tennis Injuries
The majority of tennis injuries are not the result of a specific incident in which something was sprained, strained, pulled, twisted or broken. It is the niggling, persistent injuries that develop over time that are the main culprit – these are known as overuse injuries and are the reason for 80% of tennis injuries.
Overuse Injuries
The game of tennis requires you to swing, land, jump and sprint repetitively, putting a lot of strain on the muscles and joints of your body. As a result, overuse injuries often develop with the shoulder and elbow being the most common.
Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow):
Rightfully named Tennis Elbow, this injury is probably the most well known of all tennis related injuries. It is caused by inflammation of the forearm tendons that insert onto the outside of the elbow and bring about pain and discomfort in this area. These tendons have a major role in gripping and extending the wrist and the repetitive nature of these actions in tennis can lead to injury.
Shoulder Injuries:
Repetitive swinging of the racquet, particularly in overhead positions such as for a serve, volley or smash, can irritate structures of the shoulder joint which cause pain. Common injuries include rotator cuff or biceps tendinopathies, shoulder bursitis and labral tears.
Other Tennis Injuries
Joint sprains and muscles strains are also common in Tennis due to the demanding nature of the sport. These injuries typically cause an immediate sharp pain at the time of injury. Of the joint sprains, the ankle sprain or rolled ankle is most common and usually results in pain on the outside of the joint. Muscle strains also occur to the upper and lower body and are most common in the calf muscle.
Key Injury Prevention Tips for Tennis Injuries: How to Prevent Common Tennis Injuries with Physiotherapy!
-
Ease into it! Remember the majority of tennis injuries occur due to overuse. Our muscles and tendons do not like doing a whole lot of something new in a short space of time. If you are returning to tennis, space out how often you play or practice to give your body time to adapt.
- Get fit and strong. We know tennis is a physically demanding sport, so what are you doing outside tennis to prepare body.
- Always start with a good warm up. Your muscles and joints need to be properly prepped to be on their A-Game. Make sure you incorporate a warm up with flexibility and mobility exercises combined with some gentle cardio to get the heart rate up.
If you have sustained an injury from playing tennis or are just keen on a targeted, individualised injury prevention program book in with one of our Physiotherapists today!
Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy
Melbourne Sports Physio has a range of qualified and experienced professionals who can help provide ongoing support and treatment. Our friendly team are located in across Melbourne in Essendon, North Melbourne and Blackburn South, and appointments can be made by calling or booking online.