Racket choice ? I'm using a Prince TT Beast and a Yonex AT500, which are both head heavy rackets. Does anybody think if I used a non head heavy racket then my forearm pain would subside a little ? thanks
Are you suffering from Elbow pain forearm pain? I've experienced elbow pain from using too stiff a racket.
Mainly forearm pain but after 5 or so smashes I get elbow pain. So i'm either putting it down to my technique or my rackets. Maybe I should try a more flexible racket !?
Hi Rich, I'm not a doctor but I know a little about tennis elbow having developed it a few months ago. This is my understanding of it but please don't treat what I've said as definitive It's essentially an inflammation of the tendons in your elbow. There are two forms, one known as tennis elbow and the other as golfers elbow. If you hold your hand out in front of you with your palm parallel to th floor, tennis elbow affects the tendon just above your elbow joint and golfers elbow affects the tendon near the bottom (closest to the floor) of your elbow. There can be a number of causes but it all seems to be related to asking those tendons to do too much. Some examples are : 1. Using a racket with a handle that's too small for your hand 2. Playing too much without building up the strength in your elbow (apparantly it's fairly common for people who are returning to badminton/tennis aftr a few years away to develop TE because they dive straight back in rather than spending time developing their arm muscles) 3. Bad grip 4. Bad technique/high tension strings Racket stiffness can be a factor but by itself won't cause tennis elbow. How often do you play? Does your racket handle feel too small? Have you had coaching to check your grip and technique? Is your string tension too high? These are probably more relevant questions that the racket stiffness. If you have TE the best thing to do is to stop playing for a while and let your arm heal. get some physio treatment and do some strenghtening exercises. Hope you get better soon!
Hi Crosscourt, Thank you for the information. I started playing badminton again about 3 months ago after a 15 year lay off ! I started playing once a week for the first 2 months then twice a week for the last month. I bought an AT500 as I broke my old Carlton GR (which I loved) and added another grip as I do have large hands. Another trip to the chiropractor and rest suppose :-(
Hi Neil, yes you are correct on that one. I have loosened up a lot lately and noticed that I am playing better. If your ever at Burntwood Leisure centre and you notice a 6'3", big blokey wearing specs and playing with either his mrs or two young kids then it's me. Feel free to tell me what i'm doing wrong.
One of the reasons you might be holding the racket too tight is if the handle is too small for you. It's not unheard of for some players to use 2 overgrips. Glad to hear that it's getting better
I believe this is a very common cause. Although small grips are said to cause tennis elbow, I think it's because people naturally hold the handle more tightly with a small grip. Again, it will come down to technique. Try not to hold the handle in the palm too much (use the fingers) and look up Kwun's finger power thread for a good explanation of overhead technique.
Hi - first post i've just healed my own golfers elbow as such if that makes sense basically i was having pain on the inside - golfer's elbow, theres a few things that lead to it, trying to hit too hard etc - but the best cure - what worked for me at least, is a full forearm splint, that restricts the twisting of your forearm (looks stupid i'm afraid) - or even better, plenty of rest - rest it, put ice on it, and also heat - and don't play under the influence of painkillers, your gonna make it worse
