Tennis elbow is a painful condition caused by excessive and jarring impacts on the joints, muscles and tendons in the arm. If you suffer from tennis elbow, you may find relief by simply changing racquets. The best racquets for minimizing tennis elbow are flexible, heavy, head-light and come with a grip size properly fitted to your hand.
Stiffness
All racquets are rated on their stiffness. Stiffness refers to the racquets propensity to flex or bend as it impacts the ball. Stiffer racquets do not absorb as much impact and, as as result, transfer the ball's impact force into the wrist and elbow. A more flexible racquet will absorb the ball's force and dampen the impact on your elbow. For playing characteristics, consider that stiffer racquets provide more power while more flexible racquets offer more control.
Weight
One of the most defining characteristics of a racquet is weight; how much a racquet weighs and how it is distributed. A heavier racquet will promote more momentum as you swing through the ball. A heavier racquet will power through a ball more easily than a light racquet, reducing the ball's impact on the arm and elbow. Furthermore, a racquet for tennis elbow should have less of its weight distributed to the head of the racquet, also known as a head light racquet. A head heavy racquet creates more torque on the wrist and elbow. A head light racquet provides the same weight, better balanced to reduce torque and wear on your joints.
Grip Size
Tennis racquet grip sizes are measured by their circumference and range from 4 inches to 4 and 5/8ths inches. A poorly sized grip will affect how comfortable your racquet is to hold and play with. If you suffer from tennis elbow, it is more likely that your grip is too large, than too small. If your grip is too large, your hand and wrist will fatigue faster. As these joints get tired, they become less able to absorb the impact of the ball. Tired wrists and hands make for sloppy grips and more energy transferred to the elbow. You can measure your grip size with a ruler, from top horizontal age line on your palm to the tip of your ring finger.
Considerations
If you suffer from tennis elbow, but don't want to buy a new racquet, you can make small adjustments to your current racquet to adjust weight and grip size. Place lead tape around the handle of your racquet to increase weight without making it head heavy. You can make your grip larger by adding over-grips, or smaller by using thinner grip tape and shaving down the handle. If you are inexperienced altering your racquet, you should have the work done by a trained professional. If you suffer from chronic tennis elbow, seek rest, ice and an appointment with your normal physician.
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