My tennis elbow seems to be responding well to stretching, which I am doing by holding a hammer in positions that cause (mild) pain. But I'd like to know if there is anything I can do to stop the injury occurring in the first place. Which shots and (bad) techniques are usually responsible?
Thanks sychong. From watching coach Lee Jae Bok's videos I had got the idea that the backhand is responsible for injuries, but in may case I don't seem to feel that. I tend to notice pain in my elbow after playing certain kinds of overhead forehand, often when things are happening very fast, so I find it difficult to pin down what exactly is causing the problem. Anyway: three hours of badders last night, and no pain this morning, so the stretching does seem to be working.
That is an...interesting way to treat tennis elbow. I would recommend the Tyler Twist exercise with a Theraband flexbar instead. Anyway, all power shots can potentially aggravate your injury -- in particular, clears and smashes. Good technique may not prevent this. One technique tip: try to relax in your hitting action, rather than being very tense and attempting to "force" the power. The most effective way to help your injury get better is to rest, which means you stop playing badminton for a while.
Well Gollum, I appreciate your interest, but I'd like a bit of detail about what is wrong with the hammer method. It seems to be effective, it has a similar effect to the Tyler Twist exercise but it is more flexible, and I have seen something similar recommended by a physio for tennis elbow. I had a ten-day break from badminton when I went on holiday recently, but carrying my wife's luggage through the airport on the way home I noticed the tennis elbow was no better! I will take on board your suggestion about relaxing when hitting.
It was the "mild pain" bit that sounded worrying, not the "hammer" bit. Sometimes a small amount of pain is necessary during rehab, but in most cases pain should be avoided. I would consult a physio before you start any rehab exercises that cause pain. (1) Ten days may not be enough. (2) While resting from badminton, you should be doing your physio. Rest may not be enough on its own. I'm not saying that you necessarily need to rest. It depends on the injury. I'm merely pointing out that many players don't rest enough following an injury.
I see, yeah. But the Tyler Twist action, and any other stretch of the affected parts also causes mild pain. That seems normal to me when stretching after an injury.
Again, depends on the injury. Also pain is subjective -- some people will say "mild pain" where others say "discomfort". As long as the pain is very mild, you should be okay. Ultimately what matters is that you seem to be recovering.
