Tennis injuries are generally defined as either cumulative (overuse) or acute (traumatic) injuries.
Overuse injuries occur over time due to stress on the muscles, joints and soft tissues without proper time for healing. They begin as a small, nagging ache or pain, and can grow into a debilitating injury if they aren't treated early.
Injuries that fall into this category include:
Acute or traumatic injuries occur due to a sudden force, or impact, and can be quite dramatic. The more common traumatic injuries in tennis include:
Knee Injuries
Ligament injuries to the knee are very common in sports that require stopping and starting or quickly changing directions. These extreme forces on the knee can result in torn ligaments. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the medial collateral ligament (MCL) are the most often injured, but the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL)can also be injured.
Cruciate ligament injuries don't always cause pain, but typically cause a loud "pop." Most of these injuries are confirmed with an MRI. Arthroscopic surgery is sometimes the best way to find a partial tear.
Torn Knee Cartilage (Meniscus Injuries)
Torn knee cartilage is usually a torn meniscus (image). These small, "c" shaped pieces of cartilage act as cushions between the thigh bone (femur) and the tibia (shin bone). There is one on the outside (lateral meniscus) and one on the inside of the knee (medial meniscus). Meniscus tears are often the result of twisting, pivoting, decelerating, or a sudden impact. It cam be identified by various manual tests a physician can perform to detect torn cartilage.
Chondromalacia
This term refers to softening and deterioration of the underside of the kneecap. In young athletes this is typically an injury from trauma, overuse, poor alignment of the knee joint, or muscle imbalance. This leads to friction and rubbing under the kneecap the results damage to the surface of the cartilage. The sensation is a dull pain around or under the kneecap that worsens when walking down stairs or hills, climbing stair other weight bearing activity.
Miscellaneous Tennis Pain and Injuries
Blisters
Blisters are fluid-filled sacks on the surface of the skin that commonly occurs on the hands, or the feet.
Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness
Also called "DOMS," this muscle pain, stiffness or soreness occurs 24-48 hours after particularly intense exercise or a new program.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of pain on the bottom of the heel and usually defined by pain during the first steps of the morning
Sprains and Strains
These are acute injuries that vary in severity but usually result in pain, swelling, bruising, and loss of the ability to move and use the joint.
Stress Fractures
Stress fractures in the leg are often the result of overuse or repeated impacts on a hard surface
Many sports injuries result from overuse, lack of proper rest, lack or proper warm ups or poor conditioning. The following safety precautions are recommended to help prevent help tennis injuries:
Sometimes preventing common sports injuries is beyond our control, but many times sports injuries are preventable. Some injuries, we bring on ourselves because we’re not conditioned for the activity. Work out daily and get double benefit — enjoy your weekend activities and garner the health benefits. Every workout should start with a gentle warm-up to prevent common sports injuries. Getting warmed up increases blood flow to the muscles, gets you more flexible, and could decrease injuries. Overuse injuries are common and preventable, Don’t come out and hit the ball for an hour after not playing for a while., Whether it’s hiking, running, or team sports, do some “pre-participation stretching” first by lightly working the relevant muscle groups before the activity. And learn to recognize when you’ve already left it all on the field. Stop when you are fatigued, Muscle fatigue takes away all your protective mechanisms and really increases your risk of all injuries.
Professional athletes often seek better, newer treatments outside the teams facility. We have treated players from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and the PGA. Of course we can't list the name of the players for security reasons but below is a list of the teams that they play for. And yes we have to treat the players from teams opposing our home town favorites, Sorry Guys. Go CARDS
