Tennis is one of the most popular racket sports, played year-round. Tennis players are susceptible to repetitive, overuse injuries, such as “tennis elbow” as well as shoulder injuries. These injuries occur in both novice, noncompetitive tennis players and in more competitive cohorts. While improper technique or insufficient training may be the cause of overuse injuries in the novice, more seasoned players often sustain injuries related to overtraining and inadequate recovery.
Shoulder overuse injuries (also known as shoulder impingement or rotator cuff tendinitis) are commonly due to deficiencies in the strength of the rotator cuff muscles or imbalance of the shoulder girdle muscles. The function of the rotator cuff is to position the shoulder properly in its socket. When the surrounding musculature is fatigued or weak, there is excessive movement of the ball within the socket, resulting in inflammation/irritation of the surrounding tissues.
The result is bursitis and/or tendinitis. Players will complain of pain with overhead motions (such as with serving). Activities of daily living, including sleep and lifting overhead, can also become painful. Proper training, adequate warm-up, appropriate technique and balance of the shoulder girdle musculature are all important in staving off this injury.
The injury most commonly occurring in both recreational and competitive players is “tennis elbow,” which is an overuse of the muscles that extend the wrist. It is also the muscle primarily activated when the tennis ball connects with the racquet. To prevent this injury, proper hitting and grip technique, as well as proper racquet size/fit is essential. If symptoms have begun, simple stretching of the forearm musculature can eliminate symptoms. However, in more severe or chronic injuries a combination of physical therapy, dry needling/cupping, injection (Cortisone or PRP) and, rarely, surgery may be indicated.
