Introduction:
Tennis is a sport that requires the use of our full body. It requires strength, mobility, agility, power, and explosiveness. It also requires endurance of all our muscles, especially if you’re playing a 3-set match. Tennis is a repetitive sport and overtime what can maybe happen is our bodies can develop overuse injuries (Chung & Lark, 2017).
Research suggest that up to 50% of injuries in tennis maybe due to overuse injuries (Abrams et al., 2012)
Common Tennis Injuries:
- Tennis Elbow
- Shoulder Injury
- Wrist Injuries
- Patella/Achilles Tendinopathy
(Pluim et al., 2006; Chung & Lark, 2017)
What is an Osteopath’s Role?
History Taking:
- Understanding your training demands, loads, volume, previous injuries and your goals
Physical Assessment:
- Range of Motion Testing, Muscle Strength Testing, Functional Assessments, to see what needs working on
Exercise Rehabilitation/Management Plan:
- Structured tailored exercise rehabilitation plan that is catered to your needs to support your physical goals
Wrap Up:
Tennis is a great sport. It is essentially a full body workout and helps you keep active. However, tennis can be quite a physically demanding sport. Understanding how your body moves and knowing areas for improvement can help you prepare for the physical demands of tennis.
If your goal is returning from an injury, or wanting to improve your physical capability on court, reach out and we’re happy to help!
Abrams, G. D., Renstrom, P. A., & Safran, M. R. (2012). Epidemiology of musculoskeletal injury in the tennis player. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 46(7), 492-498. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2012-091164
Chung, K. C., & Lark, M. E. (2017). Upper extremity injuries in tennis players: Diagnosis, treatment, and management. Hand Clinics, 33(1), 175-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hcl.2016.08.009
Pluim, B. M., Staal, J. B., Windler, G. E., & Jayanthi, N. (2006). Tennis injuries: Occurrence, aetiology, and prevention. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(5), 415-423. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2005.025072