The Australian Open is the initial 'grand slam' tournament of the Tennis year. In 2018, the tournament has seen big name players such as Andy Murray having to withdraw due to injury and other stars beginning the tournament while still suffering from an injury.
If you are one of our local players, taking to the courts this month inspired by your tennis heroes, we at Turramurra Sports and Spinal Physio would like to help you avoid injury - so here is our list of five of the most common ones.
Stress Fractures
The most common stress fractures affect the back and are particularly common in teenagers and young adults who have been experiencing a 'growth spurt'. In tennis, this type of injury is most painful when executing a serve. The pain is usually lessened when resting and worsened when exercising.
An experienced coach will seek to lessen the risk of this type of injury among young players by reducing the amount of serving practice. The sports and spinal physio team at Turramurra can also be of help by working with patients on exercises for core stability. Young players can help themselves by participating in exercise classes in Yoga and/or Pilates.
The treatment for stress fractures in the initial phase after injury is to rest and wait for the fracture to heal. There are things you can do at home that will help such as relieving pain with heat packs. Rehabilitation begins, working with a physiotherapist on exercises designed to stabilize and strengthen the muscles around the injury in order to support the spine better.
Calf Strains
The game of tennis is a dynamic one, with many shots taken when the player needs to leap from one foot. This puts him or her at risk of tearing the calf muscle by stretching it beyond endurance.
Right after the injury, compressing the injury to reduce bleeding within the muscles and applying ice to relieve inflammation are essential. Elevating the foot and resting as much as possible will help to speed recovery.
After the initial recovery phase, the rehabilitation phase begins with treatment from one of our physiotherapists to strengthen and stretch the injured muscles and with advice on steps to help prevent a repeat injury.
Sprained Ankles
As mentioned above, this dynamic sport can put players at risk of injury. In the case of ankle injuries, the very rapid, almost explosive leaps to the side can result in a twisted ankle. This is more common when players are tired or when the playing surface is slippery. Ligament damage and bleeding into the muscles and soft tissues often result.
Right after the initial injury, we advise rest and elevation of the affected ankle. Using ice packs and compression will help in alleviating pain and inflammation. When rehabilitation of the injury can begin, correct advice and treatment from a physiotherapist can help to facilitate full and correct healing of the injury. Turramurra Sports and Spinal Physio can help patients to reduce their risk of a recurrence by advising on the use of an ankle brace or taping the ankle.
Injured Shoulders
Among tennis players, Bursitis is a common shoulder injury. The shoulder experiences stress and strain during the repeated movements necessary to execute tennis strokes correctly. The serve is the stroke that causes the most strain.
In Bursitis, the fluid-filled sac (the Bursa) is 'impinged' (pinched) between the structures of the shoulder and this causes pain and inflammation.
Ice treatment and anti-inflammatory topical and oral medicines can help in the phase immediately after an injury. In the rehabilitation phase, our physiotherapists aim to help patients in restoring the full range of shoulder movement and by teaching exercises to promote flexibility and strength in the shoulder joint.
Elbow Injuries
Elbow injuries are common and perhaps the most common among these, is Tennis Elbow, an inflammation of the forearm affecting muscles and tendons attaching to the Humerus. The elbow is often painful to the touch and pain is worse when gripping. The condition can be avoided by choosing the correct size racquet grip so that the handle is not gripped too tightly.
Our advice is, that if you have had Tennis Elbow in the past, that you should consider wearing a compression strap to reduce elbow strain. If you have not played tennis for a while, ensure that you stretch the muscles in the wrist while playing as this can also help to avoid injury.
In the acute phase after injury, the prescription is rest combined with anti-inflammatory oral and or topical medications. In some cases, patients are offered injections of a Corticosteroid medication. The aim of these treatments is to deal with the inflammation after which, one of our physiotherapists can work with you on exercises with the aim of strengthening the affected extensor tendons.
The Last Word ...
Our sports and spinal physio clinic in Turramurra is geared up to treat sporting injuries of all kinds. We see players at all levels from a variety of sports including tennis, golf and football. Our physiotherapists can help, both immediately after an injury and in the rehabilitation stage.
We cannot emphasise enough, how important it is to get correct and effective treatment from the start. If you have picked up an injury playing tennis or another sport, please do give us a call today on 9144-1510 - we can help you in your recovery as well as providing valuable advice and help in avoiding a recurrence.
If you are one of our local players, taking to the courts this month inspired by your tennis heroes, we at Turramurra Sports and Spinal Physio would like to help you avoid injury - so here is our list of five of the most common ones.
Stress Fractures
The most common stress fractures affect the back and are particularly common in teenagers and young adults who have been experiencing a 'growth spurt'. In tennis, this type of injury is most painful when executing a serve. The pain is usually lessened when resting and worsened when exercising.
An experienced coach will seek to lessen the risk of this type of injury among young players by reducing the amount of serving practice. The sports and spinal physio team at Turramurra can also be of help by working with patients on exercises for core stability. Young players can help themselves by participating in exercise classes in Yoga and/or Pilates.
The treatment for stress fractures in the initial phase after injury is to rest and wait for the fracture to heal. There are things you can do at home that will help such as relieving pain with heat packs. Rehabilitation begins, working with a physiotherapist on exercises designed to stabilize and strengthen the muscles around the injury in order to support the spine better.
Calf Strains
The game of tennis is a dynamic one, with many shots taken when the player needs to leap from one foot. This puts him or her at risk of tearing the calf muscle by stretching it beyond endurance.
Right after the injury, compressing the injury to reduce bleeding within the muscles and applying ice to relieve inflammation are essential. Elevating the foot and resting as much as possible will help to speed recovery.
After the initial recovery phase, the rehabilitation phase begins with treatment from one of our physiotherapists to strengthen and stretch the injured muscles and with advice on steps to help prevent a repeat injury.
Sprained Ankles
As mentioned above, this dynamic sport can put players at risk of injury. In the case of ankle injuries, the very rapid, almost explosive leaps to the side can result in a twisted ankle. This is more common when players are tired or when the playing surface is slippery. Ligament damage and bleeding into the muscles and soft tissues often result.
Right after the initial injury, we advise rest and elevation of the affected ankle. Using ice packs and compression will help in alleviating pain and inflammation. When rehabilitation of the injury can begin, correct advice and treatment from a physiotherapist can help to facilitate full and correct healing of the injury. Turramurra Sports and Spinal Physio can help patients to reduce their risk of a recurrence by advising on the use of an ankle brace or taping the ankle.
Injured Shoulders
Among tennis players, Bursitis is a common shoulder injury. The shoulder experiences stress and strain during the repeated movements necessary to execute tennis strokes correctly. The serve is the stroke that causes the most strain.
In Bursitis, the fluid-filled sac (the Bursa) is 'impinged' (pinched) between the structures of the shoulder and this causes pain and inflammation.
Ice treatment and anti-inflammatory topical and oral medicines can help in the phase immediately after an injury. In the rehabilitation phase, our physiotherapists aim to help patients in restoring the full range of shoulder movement and by teaching exercises to promote flexibility and strength in the shoulder joint.
Elbow Injuries
Elbow injuries are common and perhaps the most common among these, is Tennis Elbow, an inflammation of the forearm affecting muscles and tendons attaching to the Humerus. The elbow is often painful to the touch and pain is worse when gripping. The condition can be avoided by choosing the correct size racquet grip so that the handle is not gripped too tightly.
Our advice is, that if you have had Tennis Elbow in the past, that you should consider wearing a compression strap to reduce elbow strain. If you have not played tennis for a while, ensure that you stretch the muscles in the wrist while playing as this can also help to avoid injury.
In the acute phase after injury, the prescription is rest combined with anti-inflammatory oral and or topical medications. In some cases, patients are offered injections of a Corticosteroid medication. The aim of these treatments is to deal with the inflammation after which, one of our physiotherapists can work with you on exercises with the aim of strengthening the affected extensor tendons.
The Last Word ...
Our sports and spinal physio clinic in Turramurra is geared up to treat sporting injuries of all kinds. We see players at all levels from a variety of sports including tennis, golf and football. Our physiotherapists can help, both immediately after an injury and in the rehabilitation stage.
We cannot emphasise enough, how important it is to get correct and effective treatment from the start. If you have picked up an injury playing tennis or another sport, please do give us a call today on 9144-1510 - we can help you in your recovery as well as providing valuable advice and help in avoiding a recurrence.