• Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow (Elbow Pain)

• Rotator Cuff Tendinopathies (Shoulder Pain)

• Patellar Tendinopathies (Knee Pain)

• Achilles Tendinopathies (Ankle Pain)

• Sprains (Ankle/ Foot Pain)

Top 5 Tennis injuriesThe 5 most common and most serious tennis-related cumulative, chronic or “overuse” injuries are:

Tennis elbow is probably the most common tennis injury in the world!

Everybody has heard of tennis elbow and even people that do not play Tennis can suffer from this devastating injury.

With tennis elbow the tendons and ligaments that connect the forearm muscles to the elbow are damaged or have small tears. This condition is extremely difficult to heal because there is very little blood flow in the area for healing the damaged tissue.

Usually the cause for tennis elbow is a repetitive overuse of the forearm muscles.

These muscles then become very tight and short which results in a lot of pressure on the tendons and ligaments connecting with the elbow. Often this injury can become chronic and it is not unusual for it to take a very long time to heal! It is therefore very important in my opinion for tennis players to perform exercises to prevent tennis elbow!

The tennis serve is often the activity that can cause pain in the shoulder. Similar to tennis elbow, shoulder tendinitis is very difficult to heal and can be extremely painful. Again there is usually damage to the tendons and ligaments connecting muscles to the shoulder joint and there is very little blood flow in the area to heal the damaged tissue.

Often people with this condition have difficulty lifting their arm up higher than shoulder level. Treatment usually includes rest, ice and occupational/physical therapy. It is very important to stop playing when you first notice pain in your shoulder. Once the pain gets too intense it becomes extremely difficult to get rid of it! Similar to tennis elbow a preventive exercise program should be in place for any active tennis player!

Shoulder tendinitis is another overuse injury common in tennis.

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3 Knee Tendinitis is probably the most common form of knee pain. It is a very common injury among runners, yet tennis players also suffer from this condition quite often! There are many different tendons in the knee area that can be affected. Most often it is the so-called Patella tendons that cause problems!

Just like with the other tendinitis injuries, it is extremely important to stop the activity that is causing the pain as soon as possible! Typical treatment consists of rest, ice and elevation. In order to avoid knee tendinitis every tennis player should have a proper stretching and strengthening program in place!

4 Another common tennis injury is Achilles tendinitis.

The Achilles tendon is the strongest and largest tendon in the human body. It runs down the back of your lower leg to your heel. This condition can be very painful and is usually caused by activities with sudden stops and starts like playing tennis or basketball or other sports of that nature.

Once you have Achilles tendinitis it is quite difficult to get rid off it since the tendon and the surrounding muscles are involved every time you walk. In order to avoid this condition it is very important to always warm-up properly! Similar to the other tendinitis injuries, the best way to prevent it is to have a good stretching and strengthening program in place!

5 Ankle sprains or as it is commonly known as a rolled ankle. This is a typical tennis injury because in Tennis you have to change directions fast and often and additionally you are up in the air with your feet quite often. All of these movements can result in the typical ankle sprain.

After the injury there is usually severe swelling right away. The ligaments involved could be only overstretched, slightly torn or completely torn. Right after the injury happens it is most important to rest and ice the swollen ankle as soon as possible! The goal is to minimize swelling. Often doctors will order a physical therapy consultation and treatment after the injury and special ankle braces can be worn to avoid reinjuring the ankle!

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