Tennis injuries

SPECIAL meeting FOR PLAYERS and parents  by Dr. Maher maamoun and head coach bill (saturday 30/03/08):

While Dr. Maher was explaining origins and heeling of tennis injuries Head coach Bill was explaining how to prevent injuries by appropriate fitness.

. Nature of tennis injuries: They are of 2 kinds:

• Most of tennis injuries are due to overuse.
• Sometimes, but rarely, tennis injuries are due to accidents (body collision or sudden strained muscle)

How to recognize the presence of an injury: It is the role of the player-parent-coach in coordination with each other.

What is an injury :

The injury takes place when a difference occurs in the nature of certain tissues due to their break down or to strained muscle.

The factor determining an injury is the nature of the injured tissue. There are 2 groups:

• Soft tissues like muscles, tendons and ligaments
• Hard tissues like bones and joints

Most tennis injuries belong to the first group

How to treat injuries quickly :

If the player is injured during a tournament, the tournament doctor gives him/her immediate treatment. If the injury doesn't happen during a tournament, it is better to consult a sport specialist as the other specialists don't know the intensity that our players already exert despite their young age. Doctor's help should be seeked immediately in order to reach the proper diagnosis based on the scenario of the injury, its development and its reasons. The diagnosis is also based on the symptoms and clear signs at the location of the injury. After the diagnosis is done, a program for the type of treatment should be determined to help quick remedy and heeling. Rehabilitation will then insure that the player comes back to his full performance as quickly as possible. The objective is to reach, not only absence of pain, but also strength and flexibility. Nor complying with the rehabilitation might lead to:

• Return of pain & symptoms of injury
• might destroy the injured tissues more and keep player out of court for a long period

 
Rehabilitation program:

It should be based on:

- Motion

-Strengthening

-Stretches

-Flexibility

How to treat court injuries:

• Severity of injury
• Place of injury

You have to take into consideration that muscles take up to 6 weeks to heel (after a muscle strained for example), ligaments and tendons need 12 weeks, while bones and joints take from 6 to 12 weeks.

Quick steps to take directly after the injury takes place:

1)Protect

2)Rest

3) Ice

4) Compression

5) Elevation

An easy way to remember the 5 steps is to remember the word PRICE, by the first letter of each word.

Heeling phases:

1-Acute phase (first 72 hrs after injury occurs). This period implies pain, swelling, red color, heat and loss of function.

2-The heeling phase lasts usually from 3 days to 6 weeks. During this stage, the motion of any joint related to the injury should be without pain.

Remodeling phase: Transfer to complete heeling. This phase takes from 6 weeks up to several months. It is the rebuilding phase: muscular power, good performance (minimize the weakness), bruises heeling.

The objectives of medical rehabilitation:

1-Pain free & range of motion

2-Flexibility, proprioceptive( for balance, coordination and using several joints together), strength & endurance

3-Sport specific training

4- Full competitive activity

Head coach -director of player development Bill commented that most of the tennis injuries are in the upper body: Shoulders elbow & wrest. He suggested that players start the habit of warming up with rubber bands called stretching bands. He also insisted on the players doing proper cool down & stretches after exercise. These are important measures of prevention. he will be happy to show to the players how to use them