STARNBERG, June 6, 2022 (Guest Post)
Tennis is undoubtedly a fun and competitive sport that require strategic skills and physical strengths. Whether you are a professional or playing it recreationally, tennis has numerous health benefits, including:
- Increased bone density
- Enhanced aerobic capacities
- Lowering blood pressure and resting heart rate
- Weight loss
- Improved muscle strength, tone, and flexibility
- Improved metabolic functions
However, like most sports, you face the risk of injuries as you play tennis. Injuries are not experienced by only elite players like Novack Djokovic, Serena Williams, or Rafael Nadal; even young teens and weekend warriors can be met with sudden injuries.
Since tennis is a physically involving sport that needs your body muscle groups to work in tandem for long hours, the chances for injury are high, especially for adult players. Nevertheless, you can minimize the injury rate by adopting good warmup routines to keep you in good shape.
Tennis can be a really fun activity! However, it is also important to minimize our chances of getting hurt. Intertops casino bonus play can be really fun, but you would bet all of your money on one hand? Obviously, not. Likewise….you only have one body, and the more you keep it safe, the longer you’ll get to use it!
Six common tennis injuries and how to prevent them
If you jump into swinging the racket without proper preparations, you can leave the court with an injury in no time. Here are six common injuries to be careful about:
- Tennis elbow
It is probably one of the most apparent injuries a tennis player would experience. You can get this injury when the outer tendon connecting your forearm muscles to the elbow is inflamed. Playing tennis involves repetitive swinging of the arms and wrist, causing tendon inflammation.
The inflammation results in elbow pain, pain in the upper arm, and weakened arm muscle. This injury can afflict anyone who repetitively performs intense activities with their arm, wrist, and elbow.
Prevention: You can prevent tennis elbow by using the right racket. Before buying a racket, consult a tennis professional or go to a local tennis center to get help with picking the ideal racket. The right racket size with a good grip size, weight, and string tension will help you minimize tendons straining in your elbow when swinging the racket.
Additionally, you can work with a tennis instructor to help you horn your techniques and prevent the chances of tennis elbow. You can also do exercises that strengthen your forearms before starting beginning.
- Jumper’s Knee
Playing tennis involves jumping, which might put a strain and cause microscopic tears on the patellar tendon. This tendon attaches your kneecap to the shin, and strenuous jumping can weaken the tendon, resulting in swelling and pain. You may find it difficult to jump, kneel or use the stairs.
Prevention: One way to avoid this injury is not to push yourself excessively for long periods. Overexertion can result in injuries to your knees. Since regular high-impact sports can rapidly tear your knee cartilages, you can vary your routine by incorporating other low-impact activities such as swimming, walking, yoga, and strength. These low-impact activities help you build physical strength and maintain a healthy knee.
Make it a practice to wear a knee brace to reinforce and support your vulnerable joints, especially if you begin to feel pain. Additionally, you can hire a physical therapist to massage your joints and prevent further injury.
- Rotator cuff injury
The rotator cuff has four muscle groups and tendons that stabilize and rotate the shoulder. This tennis-related injury can happen gradually or suddenly. Swinging the tennis racket often results in an overuse of the rotator cuff, thus causing the injury.
Prevention: You can prevent rotator cuff injury by doing regular stretches and strengthening workouts. You do not need gym equipment since you can perform these exercises at home. Furthermore, you can stretch at work or after warmup before jumping to the game.
- Wrist tendonitis
The regular swinging of the racket can inflame the wrist tendons, especially if you excessively use your wrist with each swing. You may feel pain in the palm or either side of the wrist or hear your wrist clicking.
Prevention: One way to prevent wrist tendonitis is by working with a tennis instructor. They will guide you on how to hold the racket correctly. A tennis professional will also help you choose the correct racket that will not twist your wrist when you swing it.
You can also get advice from a tennis professional at a local tennis center, who may help you pick the correct racket. Alternatively, you can spend time watching YouTube tutorials or reading tennis blogs to help you know how to use and choose the right racket and avoid wrist injury.
- Back stress fractures
A broken back can be scary for anyone, leave alone athletes, but bac stress fractures are less severe. These are small cracks in your backbones that often result in gradual lower back pain for tennis players.
Back fractures could be caused by excessive training, improper gear, or extensive movements when rotating, bending, or serving the ball. If not immediately addressed, your spine bears the weight of these movements, resulting in consistent back pain and debilitating legs if not immediately addressed.
Prevention: Like other tennis-related injuries, you can prevent back fractures by working with a professional to help you improve your playing techniques.
An instructor will teach you to serve the ball without excessively stretching your back. You will also learn to balance your body weight when you bend to pick or hit low balls.
Additionally, you can perform regular back strengthening stretches and exercises to keep you strong and prevent injuries.
- Ankle sprains
Tennis players rigorously move on the court, changing directions in a fast-paced movement. This sudden sliding, pivoting, and stopping on the court increase a tennis player’s risk for ankle sprains. The injury causes swelling, stiffness, and pain when you try moving with speed.
Prevention: You can minimize the ankle sprain risk by wearing padded tennis socks, an ankle brace, or two pairs of socks to give you extra cushioning and enable the tennis shoes to give you good support. Make it a practice to replace your tennis shoes when they begin to wear out; otherwise, you will be prone to other injuries.
Final words
You can enjoy playing tennis by taking the necessary steps to minimize common injuries. Consult a tennis professional in your local tennis center before buying a racket to purchase what suits your hands. Additionally, you should have the right shoe and appropriate attire for playing the game to avoid unnecessary injuries.
