Did you see Cameron Norrie make it through to the Wimbledon Quarter Finals yesterday?
I did… I was watching thinking I wish I could play like that… One day maybe suppose I will just have to keep practicing!
Now I mustn’t be the only one practicing a lot as I’m seeing a fair few patients in the clinic at the moment with Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis if you want to be fancy).
So, I just thought I’d let you all know my 5 Quick Tips to reduce tennis elbow pain so here goes…
1. Warm Up Your Body:
Taking the time to do 5-10 minutes of light warm up exercise helps increase blood flow to the elbow muscles and prepares your brain for efficient movement (which reduces your chance of moving incorrectly and getting injured).
2. Forearm Stretches:
The forearm muscles get worked hard during tennis and can tighten up. So try this elbow stretch exercise before and after matches, holding for 10 seconds and repeating 5-10x.
3. Proper Technique:
This is so important. The swing path should be “full” and for most shots the racquet should finish over the opposite shoulder. If you are shortening your swing or slowing down during the swing phase it’s highly likely you’re increasing the force on your elbow muscles unnecessarily and worse missing your shots!
4. Select The Correct Racquet for You:
Racquets come in all different shapes and sizes and its important you find a racquet which works best for you. There are different grip sizes, head sizes, weights of racquet, all of which can affect your grip and swing with the racquet. I’d suggest trying a few different ones out to see what feels best for your elbow. You could start by just borrowing a friends or ask a local tennis store to see if you can “try before you buy”.
5. Consider a Tennis Elbow Strap:
A tennis elbow strap is a great way to instantly reduce some of the pain tennis elbow brings. It compresses the area helping to reduce pain and allowing you to continue playing. But also take note it’s not a cure to the underlying problem, but will simply ease the pain in the short term to allow you to get through those “must play” matches.
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Give them a try and let me know if you find them useful. Or forward my email to a Tennis Player you know who needs the Tips! 🙂
Best Wishes,
Daniel Massey
Clinic Director & Principal Physiotherapist
Stockton Heath Physiotherapy & Wellness
admin@masseyphysiotherapy.co.uk
01925266881 – Work
http://www.stocktonheathphysio.co.uk
