Getting Back in the Swing of Things: 3 Common Tennis Injuries and Ways to Avoid Them

By: Shaun L. Traub, M.D., Resurgens Orthopaedics

As sunshine and warm weather roll in, more and more tennis lovers break out their rackets and hit the courts. To really get back in the swing of things this summer season, it’s important to remember some of the common injuries associated with tennis and ways to avoid them.

In a 2007 report, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that more than 21,000 people were treated in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and hospital emergency rooms for tennis-related injuries over the course of a year. Some of the most common tennis related injuries are ankle sprains, shoulder injuries, and tennis elbow.

Ankle Sprains — The quick sideways shuffling that is required during tennis can often cause the ankle to twist unnaturally and result in a sprain. While this injury is sometimes unavoidable, staying away from slick courts and not playing while tired are proactive ways to elude it. If you are very prone to ankle sprains, wearing an ankle brace when playing tennis can be very helpful as well. 

Shoulder Injuries — The shoulders are easily the most commonly used part of the body when playing tennis. The quick motions required when serving the ball or swinging at a return can often cause overuse injuries of the shoulders for tennis players. The best way to avoid these injuries is to be mindful of the rate at which play time is increased throughout the season. If players keep at a gradual increase, their shoulders have time to warm up and get use to the repetition of these harsh movements. Additionally, stretching the shoulder muscles by flexing and extending the wrist against a low resistance band on a regular basis can help keep the shoulders healthy.

Tennis Elbow — As the name suggests, tennis elbow is an ailment that many long-term tennis players experience. The condition involves the inflammation of muscles and tendons around the forearm and elbow and is caused by the continuous gripping of the tennis racket. One of the easiest ways to help prevent tennis elbow is to play with the appropriate size racket — if the handle is too small it can cause players to over-grip and result in inflammation. As with other tennis injuries, another way players can avoid this issue is by gradually increasing their play time when getting back into the tennis season.

Shaun L. Traub, M.D. is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and is fellowship trained in sports medicine and shoulder surgery. His area of expertise is arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the shoulder, hip, and knee. Dr. Traub is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine, and the Arthroscopy Association of North America. He is in orthopaedic practice with Resurgens Orthopaedics – Decatur (487 Winn Way, Suite 100) and Resurgens Orthopaedics – Snellville (1700 Tree Lane, Suite 300). Additional information about Dr. Traub can be found at www.resurgens.com.