Tennis Elbow (technical name is lateral epicondylitis) is the term given to an inflamed tendon attached to the bony outer part of the elbow. The tendon tissues may be inflamed or partially torn in more extreme conditions. It is estimated that about 50% of recreational tennis players will get tennis elbow at some point in their tennis career. There is a similar condition called Golfer’s Elbow (medial epicondylitis) which affects the inside part of the elbow.

Tennis elbow is a repetitive stress type injury and is not just limited to tennis players. It is common to many manual repetitive tasks involving repeated shocks to the wrist and upper arm. In tennis, there are several factors which increase the likelihood of having tennis elbow which include:

1) Age (a greater tendency for people older than about 35)

2) Frequency of play (greater than 3 times/week)

3) Lack of flexibility or strength in arm and wrist

4) Poor technique on ground strokes

5) Frequent off-center hitting (not hitting the ball in the ‘sweet spot’ of the racket)

6) Holding the racket too tightly

The impact of the racket with the ball causes vibrations to travel up through the racket into the arm and elbow. In addition, with every shot there are repeated contractions of the forearm muscle. This can cause inflammation and sometimes degeneration of the tissue on the outside of the elbow.

Symptoms:

1) Sharp pain on outside of elbow

2) Pain radiates down arm (not in all cases)

3) Pain while extending wrist or lifting objects.

4) Outside of elbow painful to the touch

5) Loss of grip strength

Initial treatment:

1) Rest from tennis for about 1 week

2) Apply ice to the affected area for 15-20 minutes, 3-4 times daily

3) To relieve pain and inflammation take an appropriate medication over the counter medication.

4) Use an elbow brace to redirect pressure away from the inflamed elbow

5) Consult a doctor if pain persists.

Exercises to improve strength and flexibility:

1) Hold out your injured arm straight with your palm facing down

2) Hold the back of this hand with your other uninjured hand and press the fingers down gently so they point down towards the ground

3) You should feel a light stretch in your forearm.  Stop if you feel any pain.

4) Hold out your injured arm straight, but this time with your palm facing upwards.

5) Now press down your hand using your uninjured hand.

6) You should feel a light stretch in your forearm.  Stop if you feel any pain

7) Use your fingers to massage the muscles in your forearm and any tender areas

Use a massage stick on your forearm muscles and any tender areas.

9) There are some excellent wrist and forearm exercises given in “Complete Conditioning for Tennis” by E.Paul Roetert and Todd S. Ellenbecker.

To avoid getting tennis elbow one of the best tennis tips is to work with a tennis professional to make sure you are hitting the ball properly. You could also play using a racket with a more flexible shaft and with a lower tension in the strings. This should dampen any vibrations that travel through the racket to your arm. Also, try relaxing your grip and release your grip between points by supporting the weight of your racket with your other hand under the racket-head.

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In part 1, I covered the essential preparation leading up to the day of the tournament and covered issues such as work-outs, tennis practice sessions and optimum nutrition. In this tennis tips article, I will cover the actual day of the tournament.
 

So you ate a carbohydrate rich meal about 2-3 hours ago and you are feeling fit and ready to go. Here is a check-list of items to include in your tennis bag.

• - Spare racket – ideally one that is matched (same weight, balance, strings, string tension, grip size) to your primary racket
• - Spare tennis shirt. It’s nice to be able to change into a dry shirt when you have split sets or between games.
• - Spares socks – same reason as above
• - Spare hat
• - 2 towels. It’s good to have two because the first can get very wet especially on a very hot day.
• - Some lotion to treat cramp.
• - Sun block. Don’t forget this or you could really suffer during a long, hot tournament.
• - Cold pack – just in case of sprain or muscle injury
• - Plastic bags – good to hold ice (from your water container) in case of sprains/injuries
• - Band aids
• - Ankle supports, knee supports. Just in case something unexpected happens.
• - A few bananas and energy bars. To top up between sets or matches.
• - Spare balls for warm-up sessions.
• - Large canister of water with ice. The ice can be used to help with injuries, if necessary
• - Several bottles of your favorite sports drink. This is necessary to top up on electrolytes lost through sweating that you can’t get from water alone.
• - CD or mp3 player with your favorite music to keep you relaxed during breaks between matches.

Try to arrive at the even early enough to give yourself time to calm yourself and focus on the match. Remember that your opponent’s ranking has no relevance at all to the match you will play today (see previous article). Just focus on your own game. Usually, for tournaments, the official warm-up time is 10 minutes but if you arrive early enough, you might be able to find a hitting partner who will help you warm up your strokes. Don’t go crazy! The idea is just to warm up and get your footwork and timing in order.
In the actual warm-up before your match, use the ten minutes wisely not only to warm up, but to study your opponent’s strength and weaknesses. During the warm-up, try to at least know the following about your partner:

• Are they right or left handed?- Yes we’ve all been guilty of this one. We are 3 or 4 games into the match before we suddenly realize that we are playing a left-hander !
• How do they handle deep forehands or backhands, especially one that bounce high?
• Which side is stronger?
• Are they good at volleying?
• Do they move well from side to side and front to back?
• How do they handle spin, both top spin and back spin? Many hard hitting players hate low back-spin shots which keep low over the net, so try a few during the warm-ups.
• How do they handle overheads?
• How well do they serve?

Knowing these strengths and weaknesses from the warm-up session will give you a real advantage going into the match itself. Hopefully, these simple tennis tips will help you next time you prepare for a tournament.

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