How tennis could be harming your body – and why it does you good
From tennis elbow to brilliant cardio – these are the pros and cons of our favourite summer sport.
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Your support makes all the difference.With Wimbledon underway and Nick Kyrgios already out due to injury, is tennis actually any good for you? Every tournament brings fresh injuries into the public eye, but the sport’s praises are often sung by fitness fans all over the world.
So, how does it weigh up health and safety-wise? Is it worth investing some time in the sport if you enjoy Wimbledon?
Tennis elbow
The most common injury in tennis is tennis elbow, says Lucy Macdonald, physiotherapist at Octopus Clinic, and it’s something which has affected the likes of Andy Murray and Venus Williams.
“Tennis elbow is the generic term for pain in the elbow, normally where irritation of the tendon runs over the elbow.,” she says.
“It is often caused by a sudden overload on a tendon, in a way it is not used to, and it cannot cope with the forces that are on it. Treating it involves modifying what you are doing.
“It can also be caused by other racket sports, and even things like breastfeeding a baby or cutting hedges and gardening,” she explains.
But, it isn’t the end of tennis dreams. You can treat it.
“Do not completely rest, modify the load going through the elbow, reduce the frequency and longevity of playing tennis, but things like physical support and tape can also help.
“Changing your technique to take pressure off the tendon can help,” Macdonald explains. “The long-term treatment is to gradually build up the resilience of the tendon – a top spin stroke adds the most pressure – and alongside that, use static contractions – exercises that are just contracting the muscle, holding it and then relaxing.”
Wrist injuries
Kyrgios has pulled out of Wimbledon already, due to a wrist injury.
“People may get wrist injuries if they fall and fracture the wrist. Or if they get a repetitive strain injury – if you use your wrist a lot in terms of the strokes you use with a lot of topspin – you can get some overuse and cause a flare up,” says Macdonald.
Ankles and knees
“Being on a slippery court, it can be easy to go over on your ankle,” she continues. “It happens in a lot of sports, if you’re running for a ball or trying to change direction.
“You might get some knee problems, as they take such a hit generally with any propulsive sport – you get wear and tear on the knees, and sudden twists could impact your medial meniscus. Strength training is the best thing for that.”
The benefits
Should you be worried about all these injuries if you want to start playing, though?
“The main cause of injuries in tennis is the sporadic nature people play it. If they suddenly go and play once every few months, the body is not used to the movements required in tennis, ” Macdonald notes.“You may suddenly run across the court and strain your calf or rupture your Achilles, because you haven’t run in months.
“If you play it regularly and are consistent with the amount you play, it can be really beneficial,” she says.Any exercise is good, but the social aspect of tennis is hugely motivating, if you’re meeting up with three friends to play tennis, you have to show up – it gets you exercising regularly if you do it consistently.
Tennis is beneficial for “increasing your heart and breathing rate, which is really good for your cardio and respiratory system. It keeps the range of motion in your shoulders, improves your balance with direction changes, and reduces your risk of falling,” says Macdonald.
So, don’t let the risk of injury put you off.
“There are so many positives that outweigh the negatives. Exercise, in general, extends your life span, and every illness out there is reduced by doing exercise. Even though it may have some impact on our musculoskeletal system, it is overwhelmingly positive for your mental and physical health.”