Ace Your Serve: Ways To Manage Rotator Cuff Injuries In Tennis Players

Ace Your Serve: Ways To Manage Rotator Cuff Injuries In Tennis Players

Have you experienced a sudden and severe pain in the shoulder, especially at the top and side, when playing tennis? That’s a sign of a torn rotator cuff (shoulder joint) caused by a single injury. Or micro tearing of muscles and tendons caused by repetitive movement, resulting in deep aches in the shoulder. According to the National Library of Medicine, overuse injuries to the shoulder contribute to about 4% and 17% of all tennis injuries and a primary reason most players depart from the court. When your rotator cuff is torn, combing your hair or reaching behind your back becomes painful. Sleeping may feel uncomfortable too. Knowing how to address these injuries (partial, bursal-sided, and full-thickness rotator cuff tears) is critical for enhanced motion, strength, flexibility, shoulder function and reducing pain. In this post, we’ll discuss different treatments, from non-surgical remedies to surgery, and prevention to help improve your tennis game. 

Non-Surgical Rotator Cuff Injury Remedy

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons reveals nonoperative treatment relieves pain and enhances shoulder functionality in approximately 80-85% of patients with rotator cuff injuries. Non-Surgical treatments control inflammation, protect tendons and muscles to prevent more pain in injured shoulder tissues without being invasive. The first nonoperative remedy is physical therapy, which focuses on rotator cuff muscle strengthening through exercise. Wall push ups, external rotations, pendulum, and shoulder extension, for example, correct flexibility imbalances affecting the shoulder blade or scapula. 

Alternatively, doctors prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroid injections to ease swelling and flare-ups that interfere with tennis performance. You could also have your shoulder immobilized for a brief period using a shoulder sling or brace. Even with a sling on, you need to exercise. Doing pendulum circles every day, for instance, reduces stiffness and pain in the shoulder. Another option is ice application. When applied for at least 20 minutes three-times a day after tennis practice, ice packs reduce swelling and painful flare-ups. 

Surgical Procedures

Is surgery necessary for tennis players diagnosed with shoulder muscle and tendon tears? When traditional remedies do not provide relief for bruised tendons supporting your shoulder joints (rotator cuffs), surgery intervention is recommended. If the size of the rotator cuff tear is large or symptoms have been present for a long time, then surgery is also necessary. There are various types of surgeries for rotator cuff wounds, such as arthroscopic surgery, which involves reattaching torn tendons to the bone through small incisions. 

Many shoulder injuries in tennis occur because of overuse injuries and are preventable. Exercising shoulder muscles regularly prevents tears to the tendons and muscles. Effective exercises include cross-arm stretch, side lying shoulder exercise, wall chest stretch, and overhead tricep stretch. Stretching after matches and getting ample rest helps restore the shoulders’ baseline range of motion (ROM). Be sure to train, strengthen, and stretch both your shoulders, the dominant and non-dominant

Being conscious of your shoulders is crucial since they are involved in all strokes in tennis and prone to tears during serve and overhead. As a tennis player, you’re more likely to have partial or full thickness injuries of the rotator cuff frequently, hindering your performance. These injuries often heal from non-surgical procedures and prevention measures (exercise and rest between matches). When too damaged, however, a doctor will perform surgery to repair or replace tendons in the shoulder.