Tennis Elbow Causes

There are many causes based on observation and personal experience. Aging is a common problem with all types of injuries and this is one of them. An aging body simply is more vulnerable and usually by the time you hit your 40s the risk increases every year. I've recommended many aging players to go for more forgiving frames and lower string tension as they age, me included. 

Poor technique can be a cause and one-handed backhands combined with a light-weight, stiff frame, with the wrong strings and tension can do it. Tennis ball can cause elbow injuries as well. As a kid, I tried Tretorn balls, only once, and had my first lesson in getting arm problems from equipment. The tennis ball type has to match the surface and altitude. 

The Pros job is to guide students in the proper choices to avoid elbow injuries.

Stefanos undergoes elbow Surgery

 Stefanos undergoes Elbow Surgery

Best luck to him.  

Dealing with Injuries as you age - Coaches, Tennis Players, Athletes

I'm fairly well beaten up with many injuries though few are tennis related but instead I carried them onto the court. The tennis injuries were from overuse rather than traumatic ones such as falls, crashes, and other unplanned violence. If you are escorted into your 50s already having a laundry list of problems it just intensifies and at least you have the mindset to cope with it though I will say that arthritis is the most mentally taxing so far. Your best bet is to find ways to manage the pain as you go along. 

 As for recovery, I've found with experience that strength training is the best answer to all of these. If my legs were out of use I'd focus on upper body strength by doing pushups, pull-ups, and curls or weight training. I'm stronger now in that area than I have been in decades out of necessity as arthritis takes away leg strength and flexibility. 

Back injuries are debilitating and the only answer I've found is endless focus on core building. It's always about consistency in doing the needed work. As an athlete, you at least have that as a long developed skill set. Those that had fewer injuries of course are more mentally bothered by later debilitating problems. It's all about expectations. If you are just happy to be alive, breathing, and in not too much pain I'd say a little injury and recovery routine is just another speed bump.

Elbow Problems

Often elbow injures seem to increase with age. Changing rackets and going with a flexible frame (below 60 stiffness), more mass (11-12 oz) weight can be added under the grip if needed, string with natural or synthetic gut and stay away from poly, try reduced string tension 55 lbs or less and a frame that isn't head heavy or too head-light. You can also go with an elbow guard while rebuilding your strength.

String Sensistive Rackets

I can't make an overly stiff frame soft enough with a change of strings to make me like the frame. The same goes for a flexible frame that cannot be changed enough by string tension or type to stop that trampoline effect. Maybe a frame that has all of the mid range attributes of moderate head light balance, and flex combined with weight to allow you to choose it's best characteristic with the right string and tension is the ideal and could be seen as string sensitive. Or taken the other way, a stiff and powerful frame can be ruined with rotgut string at the wrong tension just as a sponge bucket frame can be made to lose all feel with the wrong tension and poly.

The best answer is to experiment and test different frames that augment and compliment your game taking into account any predisposition toward injuries you may have. You can always change the characteristics of weight and balance but changing racket flexibility doesn't happen. You can loosen strings to reduce shock but at some point it will alter your stroke results and may require a change of approach which at that point might be best to consider a change of rackets.

Wilson Clash Tennis Racket - A new concept that includes control and power

Wilson Clash 100

I always look for new tennis technology so here is a promised innovation I thought I'd pass along. This new frame promises both control from flexibility that adds dwell time and power from stability.

I've always preferred control frames and accepted that I had to produce my own power and accept some reduction relative to a very stiff and powerful frame.  This does sound like an innovation.

A stable yet very flexible frame hopefully offers some injury protection for those who have elbow problems and those of us aging and finding the shock of hard hits much more noticeable than before.

Health: LED light dangers, Workout injuries, U.S. Adults heart and blood vessel disease, Sitting too much, Tennis Elbow Self Treatments

3 Dangers of LED Lights

Workout Injuries:  How to treat and prevent them

Nearly Half of U.S. Adults have heart or blood vessel disease

Why sitting too much is bad for your health

10 Muscle Moves to Tame Diabetes

Tennis Elbow Self Treatment Video

Tennis Elbow Cures Proven Ineffective

Tennis Elbow

I've gotten tennis elbow in my non-dominant arm when shoveling snow.  It goes away if you don't repeat the movement for a long while so it's usually gone by the next time it snows.  Tennis players with elbow pain have another problem which is that they want to continue playing tennis.  That unfortunately is the one thing they should avoid if it has become severe.

Here are some ideas.

First seek professional medical advice.  The ideas below are only augmentative to helping you to keep playing if your doctor agrees to it.


Tendonitis Elbow Brace

Armbands do help cut pain.  Look for one that places pressure on the muscle in one place rather than one that covers a whole area.  Here is an example.





Switch to a Two handed Backhand

If you are a one handed backhand player there is a good chance you caused the injury hitting backhands so it might be time to start working on a two handed backhand.  Technique is often the problem with a one handed backhand elbow injury but once injured even a change in form won't help until you've recovered.  A switch to a two hander can often eliminate any shock coming to your dominant arm where you have the injury

Slice Backhand 

If you have a one handed backhand and want to stay with it you might try working on a slice backhand since it tends to deliver less shock to the arm.

Flexible Racket

The best way to cut your pain aside from not playing is to find a flexible racket with a stiffness rating below 60 if possible.  There are plenty of them out there if you research it.  I'd look at one in the 56 range.   Here is one of my favorites.



Low Shock Stringing

Reduce your string tension to the minimum and stay away from poly.  If you can afford it use gut or at least a gut and synthetic gut hybrid with the mains strung in gut.  I'd limit tension to no more than 55 pounds depending of course on the type of frame you use.

Change your Serve

If you have a two handed backhand the chance is that your elbow problems may originate with your serve.  Many players cause a problem by using a slice serve with the wrong grip and trying to get excessive wrist snap.  Make sure you're using a continental grip or an eastern backhand grip versus an eastern forehand grip when serving with slice.  Also, allow your finish to complete on the opposite side of your body so that you aren't putting stress on your arm to stop the follow through.

Try Cold and Heat

I found ice packs and heat pads offer some relief.  Often I alternate.

Anti-Inflammatory

Of course this is what the standard suggestion is and the problem is that if you keep playing they won't help much plus they can be tough on your stomach.

Cream

I've found some pain reduction creams do help for joint pain.

My favorite is Aspercreme.  You can find it inexpensively at your local department store in the pharmacy section.





The best thing for protecting your arm from further elbow injury is to stop doing the thing that caused the injury.  Once you determine that you can change and avoid it and begin to heal.  What you never want to do is to get to the point of having to give up the game if possible.  It's better to learn a whole new way to play than to lose it due to a repetitive use injury like tennis elbow. 

Best of luck in your recovery.