Why Regular Massage Is A Must For Tennis Players
With ‘Tennis Season’ in full swing, and more and more people wanting to get involved in the sport, it’s important to understand the impacts a new or existing sport can have on your body and the best way to overcome this and avoid injury. No matter what your age, or level of fitness you might have, there is always a risk of injury and strains, especially when trying out a new sport which your body might not be used to.
So what are the most common tennis injuries?
As with many sports, there is a long list of injuries and strains that can sometimes occur. These include:
- Tennis Elbow – The clue is in the name! Otherwise known as ‘Lateral Epicondylitis’. This usually results from overstretching during the swing motion.
- Ankle / Wrist Sprains – Caused by trips or twists whilst running to take a shot, and from repetitive use of the tennis racket.
- Golfers Elbow – Medically known as ‘Medial Epicondylitis’. If you are experiencing tenderness in the tendons between the elbow and the forearm, Golfers Elbow might be the diagnosis.
- Back Pain – Very common, and quite often relating to poor technique / body positioning whilst training.
- Jumper’s Knee – Jumping for a shot or even simply running can cause this, and it comes from high impact pressure to the knees.
- Shoulder Injuries – Shot motions can result in, and aggravate ‘Rotator Cuff Tears’ in the shoulders.
- Pulled Muscles – Easily done, especially when playing sports – usually more than often in the biceps when playing tennis.
- Muscle Tightness – If you challenge your body more than usual, it could result in tightness of muscles anywhere in the body. Be sure to stretch and warm up prior to playing tennis.
- Muscle Fatigue – As with muscle tightness, fatigue may be experienced anywhere in the body as a result of intensive training.
- Slips / Falls – Tripping whilst running to take a shot can result in further aches and pains in the area of impact.
The level of injury often depends on the type of surface of the tennis court (For example, lawned surfaces would give a softer impact than a hard surfaced court).
What are the main benefits of massage therapy, and how can it help?
Relaxation massage, and sports massage can both be an extremely effective way to help ease and relieve tennis injuries and can also provide support for many different types of tennis training regimes.
The main benefits include:
- Reducing muscle fatigue in order to aid recovery time.
- Promoting deep relaxation following periods of high exertion.
- Encouraging the healing of soft tissue in cases of tendonitis, pulled muscles and knee injuries.
Not only does sports massage help with injuries, it can also help to relieve muscle tension, decrease back pain and improve mobility. If taken on a regular basis, these therapies can increase ability to rotate and shift your weight throughout the swing, enhance mental focus and strengthen the racket grip as well as increasing joint flexibility and reducing the extent of injuries that may occur. Not only this, it has also been proven to reduce emotional stress. Stress can hugely affect your performance, and when you’re stressed it can actually take longer for your body to repair damaged tissues.
Overall, tennis players of all ages, skill and fitness levels can benefit from massage therapy.
When is the best time to have a massage?
If you are considering using massage therapy to accompany your tennis playing, here is a few things to consider. If you are a recreational tennis player, think about starting with a relaxation massage to soothe your tired biceps and leg muscles. A relaxation massage is great to take directly after a match or competition in order to kick-start recovery and reduce muscle fatigue. If you are injured, a sports massage may be the best option for you. Always be sure to wait 48 hours for any swelling, redness or pain to subside first. In the case of a chronic or repeated injury, a sports massage therapist will give you targeted advice concerning prevention and healing for your specific issue.
If you have never used massage therapy as part of a training routine before, one or two sessions per month is a good place to start – ideally straight after your exercise. Also, if you have recently experienced a soft tissue / or muscle injury, a sports massage therapist will give advice on what type of programme to follow. If it is more intense training or a competition that you are working towards, frequent massages will hugely benefit you and guard against future injury, at the same time as reducing recovery time after training / competitions.
