Preventing injuries like tennis elbow

What is tennis elbow?

Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis, is a common injury caused by overloading the tendons in the forearm. This overload is caused by repetitive movements and too much pressure on the muscles. Tennis elbow mainly hurts on the outside of the elbow and can cause the elbow to feel stiff. It is important to treat tennis elbow in time to prevent further problems. There are various treatments available to help with tennis elbow. Physiotherapy, rest, the use of a brace, and doing specific exercises can help reduce the symptoms and allow the tendons to recover. Material is also a very important point in preventing and helping recovery of a tennis elbow. Perhaps your racket is too heavy, your grip size is not right or your stringing is much too tight. In addition, it is also possible to prevent tennis elbow by avoiding excessive strain and doing regular stretching and strength exercises for the muscles in the forearm. Do these exercises mainly on the advice of a doctor or physiotherapist. It is important to listen to your body and take rest in time if you feel any complaints in order to prevent tennis elbow.

What causes tennis elbow?

One of the main causes of tennis elbow is the use of incorrect or bad equipment. Many people underestimate the importance of good equipment and think that the equipment does not matter to them because they only play tennis recreationally. However, using incorrect equipment can lead to overloading the arm and ultimately to tennis elbow. It is therefore important to invest in good equipment that suits your playing style and level. And this does not mean that you buy the most expensive tennis racket, but that you look carefully at the specifications of the tennis racket and pay attention to the grip size. There are many online calculation methods for determining your grip size. We at Racketservices believe that it is better to just come and feel what feels best in your hand. There is sufficient information about your grip and your grip size on our website. In addition, excessive strain on the arm can also be a cause of tennis elbow. It is important not to overload your arm while playing tennis and to take sufficient rest between training sessions and matches. Also, make sure you don’t squeeze your racket too much. This is one of the most common causes of an overloaded arm. Listen to your body and give it time to recover after intense exercise. If you do suffer from tennis elbow, it is important to take action quickly. Seek advice for tennis elbow and get informed about the best ways to treat this injury. By acting promptly and following the right treatment, you can prevent tennis elbow from getting worse and you can quickly play tennis without pain again. Tennis elbow is of course very annoying and as a tennis player you naturally want to get rid of it as soon as possible. Here are some tips on what you can do yourself to quickly get rid of your tennis elbow.

How can you prevent tennis elbow?

To prevent tennis elbow, it is important to do a good warm-up before exercising. By warming up the muscles, you reduce the chance of injuries such as tennis elbow. In addition, it is wise to have a professional from Racketservices.com look at your racket. There are many different variables in a tennis racket. It is important that all variables are correct for your playing style and level to ensure that the material does not become the cause of your arm complaints. By having the racket examined properly and having adjustments made if necessary, you can minimize the chance of tennis elbow. For more advice on preventing and treating tennis elbow, please visit our website. On this page you will find all the information you need to prevent and treat tennis elbow

Use of suitable equipment

As a tennis player, it is important that you also pay attention to using the right tennis equipment. It all starts with the right equipment, such as the perfect tennis string and the right tension for your racket and looking at your playing style. In addition, it is essential to choose a tennis racket that suits your level and playing style and to pay attention to the grip size of the racket. A good tennis grip is of great importance for optimal performance on the court. Below we will discuss for each aspect of the racket what you should pay attention to in order to ensure that your tennis equipment is arm-friendly and therefore ensures that the chance of tennis elbow is reduced.

Racket weight:

The weight of your tennis racket is an important factor that can ensure that your racket remains arm-friendly. The weight of a tennis racket can vary between 240 and 340 grams. It is very important that you choose a weight that suits your level, technique and playing style. The disadvantage of a racket that is too heavy is that tennis players often start to squeeze, to ensure that the (too) high mass of the racket does not cause the player to lose control. Squeezing is often the biggest cause of tennis elbow. A racket that is too light will ensure that the player wants to do something extra because the racket does not provide enough power. This causes the tennis player to force and you guessed it, that is also a common cause of tennis elbow.

Racket balance:
The balance of the tennis racket also causes some players to squeeze their racket extra, when the balance point is higher in the racket. This means that the top of the racket wants to hang down a bit more. Tennis players often do not like it when the racket hangs too far forward. As a result, they start squeezing to get the top of the racket up. As mentioned earlier in this story, squeezing is a common mistake and cause of getting tennis elbow.

Racket stiffness:
Every racket has a certain stiffness. The lower the stiffness of the racket, the more the racket head can “wobble” which means that when the ball comes into the racket, the racket deforms. A low stiffness gives a lot of control for players who always hit the ball neatly in the sweet spot. We often see that recreational players sometimes want to hit the ball outside the sweet spot and then that wobble causes less control and more vibrations that go through the grip into the arm. So make sure that the stiffness of your racket is not too low or too high.

Swingweight:
Swingweight is actually related to weight and balance point. And indicates how hard you can swing the racket (also called swinging, the movement you make when you hit the ball). The higher the swingweight, the harder you can hit that racket. But a high swingweight can also make you feel like you are losing control of your racket. If you experience that, the average player often starts to squeeze the racket. And that in turn can causes arm complaints.

String pattern:
Each tennis racket has a certain number of strings. The most common are 16 length strings and 19 width strings. Or 18 length strings and 20 width strings. We indicate this by an X sign where we always name the length string first and then the width string, for instance 16×19 or 18×20. A denser string pattern ensures that the hardness of your stringing also becomes higher. So the more strings there are in a racket, the harder the stringing becomes. For example: The racket head of the tennis racket is 100sq. inches. One has a 16×19 pattern and the other 18×20. We string both rackets at 23 kg. Then you will see that the racket with the 18×20 pattern is slightly harder strung than the 16×19 pattern racket. So because there are more strings in the racket, the stringing is also harder.

Type of string:
Unfortunately, we see it all too often. A recreational player who never breaks his stringing with a very stiff polyester string. Polyester tennis strings are actually only intended for the better players who break a lot of strings. Polyester is a hard material that therefore has little stretch. If you suffer from tennis elbow, a polyester string is strongly discouraged. Choose a tennis string that has a lot of stretch. Such as a Tecnifibre TGV, Tecnifbre X-one Biphase, Wilson NXT or (the best) a Babolat VS Touch natural gut stringing. Want to know more about all types of strings? We also have a lot of information about this on our website.

Tension force:
Tension force, or the number of kilos that we use to tighten the string that is placed in your racket. We can be brief and concise about this, but make sure that you string your racket softly! We hear so often, yes, my racket says that it should have 25 kg on it. Unfortunately, racket brands do not take personal information into account, such as who is going to play with this racket or which string is placed in this racket. The question: What is the average number of kilos that I should use is also a question that we often get and can answer very simply. The average number of kilos does not exist! We have to take all of the above factors into account. And that means that we cannot simply say that on average we always put x number of kilos in it. We want to measure each player a stringing that is right for that person. We do not go for standard but for what suits you. If you are also curious about that, we would like to make an appointment with you to see if we can reduce your arm complaints.

Grip size:

Playing with a grip size that is too big or too small is disastrous for your arm. A grip that is too small will easily turn in your hand and will cause you, as a tennis player, to squeeze the handle. Especially because you want to prevent that when you swing for that hard forehand that you let go of the racket and it only lands 3 lanes further. But a size that is too big is also difficult to control and is therefore the result, squeezing. Just think for yourself, when I hold my racket. Does it feel nice and loose in the hand? Is the answer no? Then there are 2 possibilities. You are squeezing because of match tension or because you want to keep control (which is counterproductive). Or your grip size is not the right one. We at Racketservices.com are happy to advise you on the spot about what the right grip size is for you. We can also make grips bigger. This can be done by using special base grips, an extra overgrip, a shrink sleeve that we melt around your racket or by completely replacing the pallet. We can have pallets 3D printed so that we can provide the right grip size for every racket. That is also the reason that we are one of the few in the Netherlands that can reduce your grip size. We also do this by means of a 3D printed pallet that we have made by colleagues in the Netherlands. More questions about reducing your grip size? Then contact us quickly.

Two common misconceptions and bad practices

Dampener:

A dampener in a tennis racket does not dampen vibrations. A dampener for a tennis racket dampens sound. Due to the dampened sound, it seems as if there are fewer vibrations. But this is not the case. Using a dampener will therefore not necessarily help you get rid of your tennis elbow. But if you prefer the duller sound of a string, then by all means play with a dampener.

Top tape:

Top tape, also called protective tape in the sports shop, is disastrous for your arm. Let’s explain why:
An average top tape weighs approximately 7 grams. This means that your racket becomes 7 grams heavier than originally designed. These 7 grams are located at the very top of the tennis racket, at 68.6 cm to be precise (for a standard, 27 inch tennis racket). This also means that the balance of your tennis racket increases considerably. By approximately 0.8 centimeters. This in turn has an effect on the swingweight. This increases by an average of 20 points. This is an awful lot and all of this ensures that by using protective tape for your tennis racket, the entire tennis racket is out of balance. In addition, the top tape is glued over the bumper guard of the racket. The piece of plastic that is made by the racket brand to protect the graphite of your tennis racket. So you are not protecting your racket, but you are protecting the protective layer of your tennis racket. This is therefore of no use. And while you are reading this you are probably thinking: Why does the local sporting goods store put that top tape on my racket? Unfortunately, sporting goods stores often use this as a nice advertisement on every tennis racket they string. Many local tennis stores do not even know that the top tape they put on the rackets can have this effect. So do yourself a favor and remove the top tape from the tennis racket immediately. That way you will play with the racket as the manufacturer intended. And you will have less chance of getting tennis elbow!

Advice for everyone about tennis elbow injury

Racketservices.com wants all of the Netherlands to be able to enjoy tennis. We therefore hope that all tennis players in the Netherlands will get rid of their tennis elbow. That is why we hope that you will call us to see what we can do for you. Do you not live anywhere near our stringing service in Veldhoven? No problem. Call us, email us and ask for our advice. We can discuss your complaints with you and, for example, advise you on a string and tension. We can send you the string with a sheet of information on how the racket should be strung. You can take the string and the stringing form filled in by us to your local sports shop or tennis shop and give them the order to string the tennis racket in that way. In this way, we hope to be able to help you even if you cannot visit us. You can always ask for advice and we will always help you as best we can.