Six Common Tennis Injuries – The Complete Guide
By: Joseph Csumrik
Did you happen to watch any of the Wimbledon matches this year? It was great to see the fans fill the stands and watch the greatest tennis players in the world showcase their skills. I don’t know about you but seeing exciting tennis matches motivates me to dust off my tennis shoes, grab my racket and head to the tennis court. However, before you do so, it’s important to take the proper precautions to avoid injury.
Tennis injuries do occur and can happen whether you are a beginner or even an advance player. Some of the most common tennis injuries are:
- Tennis elbow – or lateral epicondylitis is an overuse injury that occurs with repetitive movements in the upper arm, forearm, wrist and elbow. The repetitive movement creates tendon inflammation that results in elbow pain, upper arm pain and muscle weakness.
- Shoulder/Rotator cuff injury – This is a common injury with tennis players as the muscles of the rotator cuff undergo considerable amounts of force when serving or using a forehand return. Rotator cuff tears can occur from overuse such as repetitive movement of the arm during a tennis match. Common symptoms include pain at the shoulder and muscle weakness in the arm that sometimes presents as inability to lift the arm.
- Knee injuries – During a tennis match, the lower joints of the body undergo considerable demands due to the quick, fast-pace, explosive movements that are required to play the sport. The knee is no exception to injury. One of the more common injuries is Jumper’s knee or patellar tendinitis. This occurs when repetitive movement causes the patellar tendon to become inflamed resulting in pain and swelling that affects function and mobility.
- Ankle sprains – The ankle, not unlike the knee, also experiences tremendous forces when playing tennis. The constant pivoting, stopping and cutting can put the ankle at precarious positions that could result in injury. A common injury would be sprains or possible tear of a ligament.
- Stress fractures – Are small cracks that occur in the weight-bearing bones of your body such as your feet and lower legs. This occurs when repetitive forces exceed the capacity for our body to withstand such forces.
- Muscle strains – a sport such as tennis requires all the muscles in our body to be active at some point of play. When muscles repetitively lengthen and contract such as in tennis, the possibility of injury increases. A strain can occur in a muscle group such as the calf or groin, whereby the tendon or muscle is overstretched resulting in pain and inflammation.
Injuries can occur in sports and tennis is no exception. It’s important to take the time and prepare your body for the rigors of the sport or activity you plan on participating in. Now that we outlined the common tennis injuries, in the next blog post, we’ll explore and discuss ways to prevent and minimize your risk of injury. And remember, if you do experience an injury, consult a sports medicine doctor, physiotherapist, or chiropractor for treatment recommendations.