Gretchen Zachel

The glare and adrenaline that come with tennis excite both the crowd and the players. The game might run into hours and must be concluded to have a winner. However, such a display does not come easy for the athletes because they have to keep fit to avoid injuries. Standard practices dictate some procedural routines, if and when there are setbacks. However, majority of the players understand the need for proper physical exercise as it improves both the physical body and the mind.

Common Injuries for Tennis Players

• Ankle sprain – this might show as a swollen ankle with sharp pains. It is caused by a sudden dash or stopping while playing. The movement severely strains the tissue of the ankle, causing the pain.
• Shoulder pain – as the player swings the hand while serving or returning the tennis ball, he or she might strain their shoulder tissues in the process. Such strains are what bring the shoulder pains.
• Back fracture – this is a life-threatening injury as it might affect mobility in total. It might occur due to a nasty fall on or off the pitch.
• Tennis elbow – the swinging of the hand while playing causes some movements on the outer part of the elbow. The tennis elbow makes the hand loosen its grip, becoming painful.

All the above injuries, except the back fracture, are directly caused by the sudden jerks while playing. It might start as a minor injury, but continuous tissue straining might cause a career-threatening condition. For the back fracture, it needs specialised treatment and regular physiotherapy sessions to bring the tissue back in place. This is the main reason why most tennis tournament organisers always have sports physiotherapy specialists on standby to handle such occurrence.

Areas to Focus on When Undergoing Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is good for prevention, remedy for an injury and as a guide to full recovery. It is a mind and body training that helps in calming the body for proper healing: Mind training helps to control pain management while the body training aims at getting the tissues into shape.

If you are a tennis player, watch out for the shoulder and the hip. The pelvis bone on the hips is significant as it enables the body to move faster and make sudden movements. These two body parts ensure seamless playing and maintaining balance. Established players do this often as a way of preventing injuries. Some of the tips include:-

• Stretching – it touches on the muscles; hamstrings, arms, shoulders and abs. Stretching makes the tissues flexible.
• Massage – the feet and arms can be massaged to increase blood flow, and ensure muscle relaxation.
• Sheathing – the strengthening of deep muscles keeps the body alert and help suppress fatigue encountered during the game.
• Abs exercise – they should be exercised to avoid irregular contractions of the stomach.

For all this and more sports physiotherapy sessions, call 9144-1510 now to schedule an appointment with one of our physiotherapists.