[tennisbiz] Re: tennis elbow and related injuries

Hello Everyone,

     I believe world-class players have more elbow and shoulder problems than
may be commonly known. The smart ones, in my opinion, should keep their
health problems as confidential as possible.

     Sampras admitted that he's had arm problems "on and off throughout his
career." I believe shoulder problems ended Stich's career. Roche was
plagued by it. Ivanisevic is in constant pain. Todd Martin has had
recurring arm problems. Same for Rafter. There are many more afflicted
players, if you run down the current top 100. Unfortunately, some players
unwisely "play hurt" or return too soon from injuries -- for various reasons
-- and that only worsens their injuries.

     Consider the heavy use of their playing arm, their wrists, elbows and
shoulders take a heavy toll of wear and tear, and also occasionally from
acute events, such as Becker's wrist injury when he futilely tried to fight
off a vicious serve into his body.

     Baseball pitchers who start games are often limited to 100 or so
pitches, and they typically start only every five games. Tennis servers
often hit 100 to 200 serves per match, and they play lots of practice
matches. Since they play 60 points or more per set, think of all the TOTAL
shots they hit. Let's say clay court points average 5 to more shots per
player.

     So, even with their superior technique and physical conditioning and
athletic ability and on-site medical attention and knowledge, today's
world-class players inevitably have some wear-and-tear problems during their
10 or more years on the pro tour, if they last that long.

Best wishes,

Paul Fein

 
Received on Thu May 02 2002 - 10:54:28 CDT