To continue on from where the last post left off, there are numerous areas of the body where one can injure themselves whilst playing tennis.

Shoulder Injuries are a common area where one can suffer pain.  The shoulder is heavily involved in all aspects of a tennis game and one can easily strain the rotator cuff if they have not adequately warmed up, have poor serving and forearm/backhand technique or simply try to hit the ball too hard too often.  If your shoulder starts hurting whilst playing tennis, take a break, rest and ice it.

Lower Body Muscle Strains are also common.  The dynamic nature of tennis is such that you will be required to sprint back and forth and side to side repetitively.  Tennis requires the individual to have good agility levels and be able to move quickly to get in the right position to hit the ball.  Physical demands placed on the lower back are quite high and this means the client should ensure they have adequately warmed up before getting into a full on game so to reduce the risk of straining a muscle i.e. calf, hamstring, groin.

The best warm up is activity that mimics the sports and prepares the body for the demands on the specific activity.  Some light hitting with a partner and gradually building up the intensity over 10 -15 minutes will probably be good enough for many individuals.  For those with more specific areas of tightness, some stretching following this or specific movement based activities will be required.

If you have just pulled your tennis racquet out of the cupboard and have not played in sometime, allow yourself a few weeks to get into the rhythm of things.  Playing too much too soon and not listening to your body will only increase your risk of injury.

If you currently suffer from any specific wrist, elbow, shoulder, back or lower limb complaints and are currently playing tennis or wanting to, book in at Principle Four Osteopathy for a full musculoskeletal review.  Principle Four Osteopathy is located in the heart of the Melbourne City CBD 3000 at 29 Somerset Place, Melbourne City  CBD 3000 (near the corner of Little Bourke & Elizabeth St).  To find out more about the clinic, please check out www.principlefourosteopathy.com