Palm Injury

[tonten]

Hi. Thanks guys last time for the advice. I read through the whole thread. I'm doing well with my team right now and our seniors have just won the first game in our season.

I have a problem with one of my junior players and I have no idea who to turn to for advice. I'm going to ask the atheletic director in my school tommorow, but it's always good to get a second opinion from here =)


When this junior of mine plays for a short/long period of time, the bone beneath the front of fore finger hurts. Strangely enough, it is not a blister and I do not think it is the muscles either because I used pressure points to check if he might have strained something in his hand.

When he takes a brief rest, his hand will feel fine. When you press that part of his palm, it does not hurt anymore. It only hurts while he plays and briefly after he finishes playing.


At first, I thought it might have been a blister and maybe he was holding the racket too hard, but it's not a blister as he can tell.

However, it is possible he is holding the racket too hard (When we have practice this Friday, I will check for this). Today during the game (Game was very unorganized, so everyone was in a rush and a frantic mode), I suggested to him to bring a glove for practice this Friday. He is a really enthusiastic fellow and he really wants to play, but I am concerned about this pain or injury, as I have never encountered anything like it before.

[Cheung]

Sounds interesting - I would even hestitate to use the term "injury" here.

The grip theory sounds plausible enough.

[Pointfore.Ca]

Is it at the joint? Any chance you can draw a picture where it's hurting?

[badrad]

If the pain is in the front part of the index finger (top side of the finger) is often result of incorrect forehand grip. Check that the student is not pointing the index finger while holding the racquet. Some kids will hit with the index finger straight along the grip, rather than holding like pistol grip. A quick way to see is that sometimes the index finger tip is pointing towards the racquet head

Chances are the student is starting to hit harder and this is stressing the finger.

[tonten]

Hi

This is the best picture I could find of a palm on google
hehe

I colored in the part in brown, where he says it hurts. I think it is the carapal? (lol sorry, my biology sucks)


http://members.shaw.ca/species228/palm.gif

[badrad]

Again - check the grip. Pain in that area of the palm is that they are gripping too square to the racquet and the student is trying to hold the racquet tighter to prevent the racqeut from flying away when they hit.

[mjwhitfield]

Is he using a towelling grip? While I was having a chat to one of the older guys at the club when I was thinking about swapping to a towel grip he said when he used to use them he had pain in that exact part of his hand, when he changed to a PU grip the pain went away.

I can’t think of a plausible reason why this would happen, but still, that’s what the guy said.

[kwun]

interesting that towel / PU grip makes a different. may be it is the size of the grip? towel wrapped grips are usually thicker. tonten, does this student of your have a huge grip?

i am just guessing, badrad's still the more plausible explanation.

[tonten]

goodness

I didn't get a chance to see him on Friday. I was too sick and had someone else take over that day.

I'll check on monday hopefully.

excuse me for my stupidity, but I seem to not know what a towel or what a PU grip is


hehe

[carbonex21]

I also recently hurt my hand in a similar place while using yonex grap. When I changed back to Karakal pu the problem went away. In my case the strain was due to gripping too hard in order to compensate for the less tacky grip