Any way you spin it, tennis is a great sport for keeping you active and healthy through every stage of life, from grade school to the golden years. Unlike football, it's not a contact sport, so impact-related injuries are rare. And unlike soccer, it doesn't require a whole team to get a game going.
It stands to reason that a sport that's so easy to pick up and play and keep playing must be good for your whole health. However, playing tennis may lead to spine pain and discomfort. Keep reading to learn five ways to prevent spine pain while playing tennis.
The Tennis Effect
With all the sudden stops and starts, muscle extensions and trunk rotations required in tennis, it’s no wonder that many regular players suffer from lower back pain and other spine-related issues. In fact, tennis players frequently experience bulging or herniated discs, facet joint pain, sciatic pain, spondylolisthesis and vertebral stress fractures.
The good news is that there are several ways to reduce the wear and tear that tennis puts on your back and lessen your risk of injury.
Warm Up and Win
As with any athletic activity, it's essential to stretch and loosen your muscles before playing tennis, then stretch again when you're done. This will reduce the likelihood of muscle strains and the lower-back muscle spasms often experienced by tennis players. Trunk twists, arm circles and slow jogging from one part of the court to another are good ways to warm up all your muscles before play. If you have chronic back pain, you may want to add specific stretches to your warm-up that target the portion of your spine (usually the lumbar region) where your pain occurs.
Play the Clay
Given the choice between playing on a hard surface and a synthetic clay court, a softer surface is better for the spine. Many tennis clubs offer a form of soft court called Har-Tru, a green, sand-like surface on which balls move somewhat more slowly, and players have fewer abrupt stops and starts because they can slide into place. While hard courts are typically more accessible than clay ones, it's worth looking around for affordable options.
Slice the Serve, Table the Topspin
The serve is by far the most dangerous stroke in tennis, and we're not just talking about it as an offensive weapon. Rather, the way your body must rotate and extend to launch the ball over the net in every service game is a recipe for back trouble. That's especially true if you use a topspin serve because the mechanics require significant hyperextension of the lower back muscles and compression of the lumbar disks.
A more back-friendly serve is the slice, where your racket approaches the ball from the side rather than from above. So, slice it up and keep your spine in line.
Consult a Coach
It's hard to overstate the importance of learning proper shot techniques to avoid back injuries when playing tennis. This applies not only to the serve but also to overheads, volleys, and groundstrokes. A professional coach can teach you optimal hitting stances, ways to connect with the ball and follow-through motions to keep your spine safe.
Players who experience back pain may also benefit from learning a one-handed backhand, which can reduce some of the rotational stress this shot places on the spine. Your coach can also teach you spine-safe practice techniques. For example, during drills, avoid excessive repetition of a single shot (e.g., an overhead) to reduce the risk of straining one or more muscle groups.
Optimize Your Equipment
Whatever you do, don't go out on the tennis court wearing running shoes or any other footwear that doesn't support multidirectional movement. Make sure you are using the right tennis racquet with the proper string tension. Try not to play with flat or wet tennis balls, and never play on a wet, slippery court.
Your local tennis pro is an excellent source of advice on which equipment is best suited to you and most likely to minimize unnecessary stress on your back muscles and other parts of your body.
Serving Up Expert Care
If your tennis game is causing chronic back pain, it may be time to give Dr. Patel and the Spine Health Institute a call. We help athletes of all ages and skill levels feel and function better on the court through expert diagnostics, physical therapy and strengthening exercises, and advanced, minimally invasive treatment for spinal injuries.
Connect with our expert care team at our Neuroscience Institute, and we’ll get you back out and swinging in no time. Learn more about our partnership with USTA National Campus as part of our ongoing commitment to providing whole-person care.
