Tennis Elbow prevention is better than cure
September 23, 2008
My wife was unable to play tennis for an entire summer thanks to a tennis elbow injury. As I told her prevention of a Tennis Elbow injury will always be so much better than a cure.
Here are some tips to prevent a tennis elbow injury.
There are several things you can do which will dramatically lessen your chances of having a tennis elbow injury which incidentally afflicts thousands of players every year.
The selection of the right equipment is right up there in order to prevent injury. There are guidelines that need to be followed when selecting your tennis racquet, and this especially applies to the vast majority of players, who never play in a tournament, but equally suffer the greatest number of Tennis elbow injuries.
You should endeavour to test as many racquets as possible before choosing the right one for you. Seek advice from your coach, if you have one or a qualified salesperson before making your final purchase decision!.
A graphite racquet is preferable because it will lessen vibration and give you better torque control.
Don’t get sucked in by an oversized racquet because although the sweet spot might be bigger, the area outside the sweet spot is very large and you will more likely experience side-to-side twisting of the racquet which increases the likelyhoot of a tennis elbow injury.
A racquet with a more flexible frame will reduce your chances of a tennis elbow injury.
A heavier racquet will vibrate less, but stay away from a racquet with a heavier head because they increase the risks. A heavier handle is OK. Overall what you are looking for is a racquet with a high sweet spot, light head and good balance.
Make sure that the string tension is at the lower end of the specifications, and use synthetic nylon, making sure you get a re-string every few months.
Another tip is that when you are playing, especially on clay do not allow the balls to get heavy. This has the potential to cause tennis elbow, so change them often, also when it is damp.
To avoid learning bad habits or to remove them from your game it is a good idea to get some lessons from a qualified tennis instructor. Make sure you ask them to pay particular attention to your technique.
This applies particularly to weight transfer while ensuring your chest neck and shoulder are being kept stable. This will help so that your shot making is better and there isn’t too much muscle tension.
Warm up properly before you begin, doing gradual stretching exercises for the wrist. If you have a coach ask them about the best exercises.
When you are out on the tennis court start your backhand from the shoulder not the forearm.
Bend your forearm on your forehand shots, so your biceps and shoulder take the force of your swing rather than your elbow .
Whatever you do, bend the arm when you serve. A straight arm and rigid wrist means the elbow takes all the shock of contact.
The last tip is don’t put too much topspin on the ball when you play a ground stroke.
If you take all of this into account then chances are you will dramatically reduce your potential for a tennis elbow injury. As mentioned at the start of the article it is always better to prevent an injury rather than cure it after the event. A good fitness program is key to being able to better perform in any of your sporting events including competitive tennis or hit and giggle tennis.
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