Craig Wittus: TENNIS ELBOW – Whose fault is it?

By Craig Wittus

I just had one of my pupils call asking about tennis elbow and how she can take care of it. After first consulting with your medical/health care provider, the next thing you need to do is to go see your friendly neighborhood tennis pro and have him do surgery on your stroke.  How come you never see tennis pros with tennis elbow? From the day they threw that rattle to the ground and grabbed that racquet, they were instructed in the proper way to stroke the ball. If you have pain on the outside, you’re probably stroking your backhand the wrong way. If you have pain on the inside your probably stroking your forehand the wrong way.

 A few tips for a temporary solution:

• Restring your racquet at a looser tension
• Build your grip up one size
• Try one of the many new racquets made now that are built to absorb the shock of making contact with the ball
• Use a vibration dampener
• Experiment using two-handed strokes
• Buy one of the many tennis elbow braces offered ( I prefer the Aircast)
• Seek the help of your local USPTA tennis professional

This tennis tip is provided as educational information. Always seek the advice of your medical/health care provider for any medical questions and always ask your medical/health care provider about the use of any medications, even OTC (over the counter) anti-inflammatory drugs.

Posted in: Tennis Tips