Although it’s a non contact sport there are still a number of ways a player can injure themselves when out on court and none more infamous than tennis elbow. This is caused by overplaying, wrong equipment or poor technique. Normally we see it in recreational players who may have been playing for years or recently increased their frequency of play who are most likely to display symptoms of tennis elbow or lateral epicondilitis. It has been called many things over the years including writers cramp, washer woman’s elbow until it was noticed in a number of tennis players and it became tennis elbow.
It is a damaging of the forearm’s muscles and tendons that lead to a soreness around the elbow. Simple tasks like opening a door or trying to grip something can lead to severe pain around the elbow and if not treated can lead to big complications. Although it is found in many professions that employ repetitive stress on muscles in the arm like carpenters for example, in tennis terms a good coach should be able to give you guidelines as to why it’s happening. A coach will look at the racquet to check for tension strength, vibration dampeners and the size and condition of the grip, the first point of contact with the racquet. Too small a handle in diameter and our grip becomes too tight and so more strain. A look at a players technique will give some insight as to whether or not that person is putting excessive strain on their forearm muscles through poor technique. They may be swinging from the elbow instead of the shoulder. Maybe you have started playing 3 times a week instead of your normal 2. It could be a recurring injury that pops it’s ugly head up from time to time. Either way, you must get rest and if the symptoms continue then you should seek professional medical help. There is no evidence to prove that any creams or lotions, deep muscle wonder potions actually work. The best advice is to just give it rest and try to avoid any lifting, carrying or general use of the arm as much as possible. Should the pain extend down into the wrist then you should see a doctor.
Make sure your shock absorber, vibration dampener is present in your strings even if your racquet already has a built in device. These really do make a world of a difference by softening the vibrations caused upon impact with the ball. If you’ve never used one, get one. If you’re used to using one then you know you’ll never go back. Use tacky overgrips to slightly increase the diameter of your grip and this might ease the strain in your grip. Experiment with your string tension to find the one that suits you best. Don’t leave strings for too long in a racquet as they become dead and lose their tension over time. Give yourself plenty of rest in between matches or even recreational play. Allow at least one evening of rest before you pick up the racquet again.