For professional tennis players, the U.S. Open is right around the corner. For the rest of us, it is near the end of the outdoor tennis season. Dr. Joshua Dines, sports medicine orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the QQQ Champions Series by Invesco offers tips to help you avoid classic overuse injuries such as tennis elbow and rotator cuff tendonitis and keep you on the court the rest of the summer:
1. Warm up and Stretch thoroughly before playing
2. Listen to your body: if it is sore or hurts, don’t play. Take some time off.
3. Tennis elbow can result from overuse and/or poor form on a one-handed backhand. Improving your stroke or switching to a two-handed backhand can help.
4. Rotator cuff tendonitis can cause pain during serving and overheads. Prevent this by incorporating rotator cuff strengthening exercises into your workout regimen.
Reviewed on July 17, 2018.
Dr. Joshua Dines is an orthopedic surgeon and a member of the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery. He was the team doctor for the U.S. Davis cup tennis team, and currently serves as an assistant team physician for the New York Mets and a sports medicine orthopedic consultant for the NY Rangers.
