How to Avoid Tennis-Related Injuries: 5 Injury Prevention Tips

By: Joseph Csumrik, Chiropractor at The Clinic at Christie

Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player, tennis can be a physically taxing sport that requires every muscle group of your body working for long periods of time. It’s important to develop and maintain a warm-up routine to keep your body in top form.

Want to know how to avoid tennis related injuries? Well here are 5 tips for preventing tennis related injuries.

Did you get a chance to read our first blog post regarding the six common Tennis injuries? If not make sure you check that out before reading this one, as it discuses the different ways and areas of the body an individual could injure themselves while playing a tennis match.

Now that you have had a chance to read our previous blog post and are all caught up with the six common Tennis injuries, lets talk about how to avoid tennis related injuries with 5 easy tips. The number one rule, I like to emphasize is before even hitting the court you should consider stretching and performing exercises that mimic and engage the muscles required to perform the movements necessary in a tennis match. In this blog post I will focus on 5 stretches and exercises that will help avoid tennis related injuries.

5 Tips For Avoiding Tennis Injuries

Cardio warm-up: Try a light jog that lasts a couple of minutes.  The goal is to warm up your muscles.  You should be able to carry on a conversation as you jog otherwise you are jogging too quickly.

Hip Flexor Stretch – This is a great stretch to help relax the hip musculature and decrease tension in the back. Begin by kneeling forward into a lunge position.  Keep the trunk upright and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat with the other leg.

Shoulder Stretch – The shoulder joint is used frequently while playing tennis and as result can become fatigued and injured.  A great stretch for the shoulder is one that targets the posterior capsule. Start by bringing one arm across your chest while using the other arm to push elbow towards the opposite shoulder.  Hold for 20 seconds

Resisted Internal Rotation – Start with a light resistance band that is secured to a door handle.  Keeping your arm at your side and elbow bent at 90 degrees, slowly rotate arm so hand comes towards you.  Try performing 3 sets of 10.

Resisted External Rotation at 90 degrees Abduction – Secure a light resistance band to an object at shoulder height.  Bend the elbow at 90 degrees and lift arm to shoulder height while holding the band. Then with the hand pointed forward, slowly rotate the shoulder upwards toward the ceiling.  Try performing 3 sets of 10.

Stretches and exercises are key to keeping you on the court and avoiding serious injury.  However, if you do experience pain or discomfort, do not ignore it, consult a sports medicine doctor, physiotherapist, or chiropractor for treatment recommendations.

Make sure you check out our other blog posts!