Although tennis is not a contact sport, it poses no less risk of injury.Everyone has heard the term "tennis elbow" and knows how this sport affects the wrists, ankles and knees, but today we will look at the impact it has on the shoulder.
The shoulder is the joint with the greatest range of motion compared to all other joints in the human body. It is made up of three bones: the humerus, the scapula and the clavicle. The head of the humerus stands in the fossa of the scapula, called the glenoid fossa. Articular cartilage, which is elastic tissue, covers the surface of the humeral head and glenoid fossa. It creates a smooth surface with minimal friction, which helps the bones slide easily against each other. At the periphery of the glenoid fossa is a fibrous cartilage ring, the labrum, which provides stability to the humerus.
The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles, the tendons of which trap and encircle the head of the humerus, stabilizing it in the glenoid fossa.The subacromial bursa is placed between the rotator cuff and the acromion.It protects the tendons from the overlying bony process (acromion) and ensures smooth movement in the shoulder.
The scapulohumeral rhythm is the synchronous movement of the scapula and shoulder.When it is disturbed, the conditions for instability of the humerus are created. When the arm is raised above the head, as in service, there is contact between the subacromial bursa and rotator cuff with the bony process (acromion), which can lead to edema, microhemorrhages, inflammation of the bursa, and thickening and trauma to the tendon of the muscle over the crest of the scapula (m. supraspinatus). Occasionally the process results in calcium deposits accumulating in the tendon of the muscle and finally partial or complete tears.
Often shoulder pain and injuries are related to poor technique, which is why they are more common in amateurs and amateurs.Our advice is that anyone who is starting to practice tennis or is unsure of their technique should seek the services of a coach.
Common symptoms are :
- Mild swelling and tenderness localized to the front of the shoulder
- Pain in the front of the shoulder, that radiates to the lateral aspect of the upper arm
- Pain when raising the arm above the head or pain when relaxing the arm against the body
- Pain when throwing
- Stiffness or limited range of motion when raising the arm and relaxing it
- Pain at rest and/or at night
- Decreased strength or difficulty with precision when performing feathered actions
If you are a sports enthusiast, a coach or your child practices tennis it is important to learn about the injury risks of the sport. Prevention starts with awareness and proper treatment depends on quick recognition of symptoms. Shoulder pain during or after tennis means you need to change something. Practicing sports despite the pain is not a good idea. If it is minimal and subsides within one to three days it is a good idea to pay attention to technique and warm-up before playing. Very often time presses us and we tend to neglect the warm-up, which is very wrong. Consult a coach and take the time you need to learn the correct technique.
In the beginning, you may need to play less often, using the time between games to do physical therapy treatments and exercises involving thoracic and shoulder mobility and those for rotator cuff muscle strength and stability. Very often ignoring the pain leads to chronic tendonitis,partial tears, more severe pain and inability to play which in turn requires cessation of the sport and a much longer period of treatment.
If you are familiar with shoulder pain, you can turn to the Okto team. Treatments that are suitable are:
- Teckar therapy
- IASTM technique
- Shockwave therapy
- Manual therapy - mobilization with movement
- Analytical exercises for muscle strengthening
- Taping methods
