Jim’s Take on Tendon Problems… Golfer’s and Tennis Elbow, Triceps Tendons, Shoulder Tendons.

After ramping up my tennis activities on retirement, I had problems with both the upper and lower tendons leading in to the elbow from the lower arm - commonly called golfer’s elbow and tennis elbow respectively. I have also had problems with the triceps and rotator cuff tendons.

To prevent recurrence I have taken to using arm friendly equipment and strengthening exercises. Read on for details.

 

 

Racquets

Jim
Most tennis experts will recommend a soft or flexible and reasonably heavy racquet to prevent tendon problems in the arm. I use a Head Radical Microgel MidPlus - old technology, but I find that it’s the the guy holding the racquet that’s important, not the technology in the racquet. On the Tennis Warehouse USA website this racquet is allocated a stiffness rating of 57 compared with mid 60s for the racquets most of the pros use (lower number = higher flexibilty). It also much cheaper - $169 on the Tennis Warehouse Australia shop.

 

 

Strings
Strings can play a big part in your game.  The wrong strings can contribute to injuries in the wrist shoulder and the quintessential tennis injury the tennis elbow.

Dave
The right strings for you depend on how you play the game.  I like to hit the ball with a lot of spin so a poly or copoly string in the mains is a good choice for me.  These are not strings that one would normally recommend to one seeking longevity in the game as they are stiff and vibrate.  They do allow me to "grab" the ball when I spin it and the more time the ball stays on the racquet the less force is needed to get the same amount of spin.  I experimented with string savers which nullified the effects of the polys and I found I developed a sore elbow and shoulder when I tried to go for the same shots.  One thing I can tell you about playing with a full bed of poly strings is that you know straight away when your vibration dampener is missing. 
I am also a great advocate of hybrid strings.  Hybrid stringing is when the longer mains strings are strung with a different type of string to the crosses.  The mains strings are longer and move over the shorter crosses in the same place, when imparting spin on the ball, wearing a notch in these strings.  The cross strings have the mains moving over them wearing them more evenly over the string.  Because the mains and crosses serve completely different purposes and are different in length I think it would be a remarkable coincidence if your perfect mains string and perfect cross string were exactly the same type and tension.  My preference is to have a stiff mains string for spin and a softer cross string for power and vibration dampening.  For you I would recommend you start by asking your local tennis pro (who knows your game) for a recommendation.

Jim
The variety of strings on the market is bewildering. I have tried many types and ended up going back to my old favourite -Wilson NXT multifilament strung at a low tension -54lbs or lower. This is a very soft string, easy on the arm. Most reviews of strings will give it full marks for arm comfort. It also renown for being expensive (relative to poly) and not durable, but that doesn’t worry me as I don’t hit topspin (what is topspin? - never hit topspin in my life) so my NXT strings last long enough for me.
 

 

Exercises

Jim
I do wrist curls (palm up) 3 sets of 15 to 20 using 8kg weights and reverse wrist curls (palm down) with 3 kg weights twice a week. It took me years to get to this level. I suspect that this is the most important element in avoiding golfer’s and tennis elbow. For the triceps tendon, the normal triceps strengthening exercise is recommended plus triceps stretches (heat, stretch, then ice if your triceps tendon is hurting).

 

Shoulder Problems

Jim
I ended up with a torn shoulder rotator cuff which required keyhole surgery to reattach the tendon to the bone. To avoid this I would recommend that at the first sign of problems, see your physio to get the right exercises to get the strength right in the various element of the rotator cuff muscles. Or even better, see your physio before you get problems!

 

 

Court Surfaces

Rafael
To find out what Rafael Nadal thinks of Hard-court read this excellent article "All that slipping and sliding on tennis courts prevents injuries: a biomechanics expert explains how"