If you've been playing tennis for any amount of time, chances are good that you, or someone you know, have suffered from shoulder pain or injury at some point. Like it or not, the game you love places a great deal of stress on your shoulder--just ask some of the high-profile tennis professionals who have experienced a shoulder problem such as Maria Sharapova or Andy Roddick.
Types of Shoulder Injuries
Serves, overheads and even ground strokes all put a tremendous amount of stress on your shoulder. The shoulder joint is the most mobile and versatile joint in the human body. But this mobility and versatility comes with a price. The shoulder is also the least stable of the large joints, and it is this combination of mobility and instability that makes it a prime candidate for injury when you play an intense sport like tennis. Hitting ball after ball in practice and in a match requires shoulder muscles to strike a delicate balance between mobility and stability, acceleration and deceleration. Shoulder strains, sprains, and tendonitis are some of the most frequently occuring injuries for tennis players. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ("AAOS"), a strain is an injury to either the muscle or tendon, whereas a sprain is a stretching or tearing of ligaments. Tendonitis is caused by a series of small stresses to the tendon says the AAOS.
Causes
Stress caused by overuse or muscular imbalances are a couple of the leading reasons for these types of injuries to occur. And perhaps the most frequently injured area for the tennis player is that to the rotator cuff.
The repetitive motion of tennis strokes can lead to the development of muscular imbalances as well as possible overuse stress to the rotator cuff.
Rotator Cuff
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles--primarily in the rear of the shoulder--whose main function in tennis is to stabilize the shoulder and decelerate the arm after striking the ball. While these relatively small muscles are serving an important protective function for the shoulder by stabilizing it, they must do so while working in opposition to powerful muscles such as the chest.
A weakened or fatigued rotator cuff can lead to instability in the shoulder during play, and this in turn can lead to rotator cuff injury. There are a number of exercises that a tennis player can perform to address his rotator cuff; many of them requiring little or no special or expensive equipment.
Solutions
Early detection of the problem is key says the AAOS. Rest, ice and compression are also recommended, along with strengthening exercises to correct any muscle imbalances and improve flexibility. For serious problems, surgery may be recommended by your physician after a diagnosis and consultation.
Expert Insight
Whenever you experience a shoulder injury or pain, it is highly recommended that before you do anything further, you check with your physician so that you can have the problem correctly diagnosed. Your main objective is to correct any problem before it becomes chronic or gets worse, and to continue to enjoy the game that you love, injury free!
References
- "New England Journal of Medicine"; Rotator Cuff Failure; Frederick A. Matsen III, M.D.; May 2008
- "United States Tennis Association": Healthy Tennis - Shoulder Injuries in Tennis
- "American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons": Common Shoulder Injuries
