With Wimbledon just around the corner, tennis courts are the busiest they will have have been all year (or they would be if it wasn’t for all of the rain). Whether your a keen year round player or you dust off your racket only for the summer months, all tennis players are vulnerable to injury.
It is not just the direct strain that the body goes through when serving, spinning, smashing and lobbing the ball that causes musculoskeletal pathology. There are many factors that are often overlooked that may predispose you to injury and contribute to the pain and restriction you feel. Osteopathic management offers a full assessment of your biomechanics to find the underlying cause of the pain and limitation that you are experiencing. Using a range of manual techniques such as soft tissue and articulation osteopaths treat acute and chronic injuries & pain. The Osteopathy Centre in North London also offers advice on self management and how to reduce the risk of recurrent injury.
In tennis and other racket sports our joints and the soft tissues surrounding them are particularly prone to overuse injuries due to the repetitive motions required when playing. Tennis players are also prone to traumatic injury due to the fast pace, impact and strain of the game, the rapid changes of direction and stopping and starting quickly.
Osteopaths commonly see traumatic injuries to the lower limb and repetitive strain injuries to the upper limb associated with racket sports. In the lower limb, ankle strains & sprains and knee injuries are among the most prevalent. In the upper limb overuse injuries are seen in the wrist, elbow and in the shoulder. Whilst not the most frequent, the most notorious repetitive strain injury is ‘tennis elbow’ formally known as lateral epicondylitis. Other common injuries associated with tennis are carpal tunnel syndrome (wrist), rotator cuff tendonitis (shoulder), achilles tendonitis (ankle) and back pain.
What is tennis elbow?
In the forearm there are many muscles that attach to the bony prominences of the elbow (the epicondyles), these are at the end of the humerus (the funny bone). These muscles act to extend and stabilise the wrist.
Lateral epicondylitis is the inflammation and sometimes micro tearing of the tendons of these extensor muscles. The irritation and strain can also effect the fibrous surface of the bone (the periosteum). This can result in inflammation and pain at the attachment point of the muscles to the lateral epicondyle of the elbow.
Tennis Elbow can arise from the repetitive movement of the wrists causing strain and even weakening to the extensor muscles and subsequent damage and inflammation as described above.
Whilst Tennis elbow is reported amongst the tennis playing population it is not exclusive to tennis players. It is also very common in the trades due to tool use and even as a result of excessive keyboard use and also gaming. There is of course golfers elbow as well which affects the the muscles and tendons that flex the wrist and the bony part of your elbow on the inner side of your arm (the medial epicondyle).
If your back, elbow or anything else goes out more often than you do, put down your racket and pick up the phone to The Osteopathy Centre 0203 928 6999