Tennis or paddle with elbow problems: how do you adapt?

A tennis arm is not proof of a technical error

The name tennis elbow may evoke the idea that the punching technique must be wrong. However, the symptom is also without tennis. Thuisarts describes repeated arm use, work and sport as relevant factors, while the exact cause is not always clear.

At padel and tennis you can tax different areas. Pain on the inside can fit a wave arm; Thuisarts on golf arm also mentions racket sports in that context. The location and the investigation remain important.

Therefore, don't just let the racket be judged when the symptoms increase. A technical discussion may be useful, but does not replace an assessment of pain, movement, strength and any other symptoms. First, it must be clear what question you're actually trying to solve.

What changed in your play week?

Look back on the period before the symptoms became bothersome. Have you played more often, stayed longer on the track or started again after a break? Did competition come in next to regular training? Such changes are useful information without automatically proving the cause.

Bring work and jobs, too. A week with lots of grabs and tools can exist next to your sport. Only the number of hours played does not tell the whole story of your forearm usage.

Create a short overview with date, type of session and global intensity. You don't have to count every punch. Please note whether the training was quiet, technical or competitive. With that, you and your trainer can better discuss what step can actually be reduced.

Make Custom Play concrete

Feeling what can be remains vague once you're in an exciting rally. Therefore, agree in advance what adapted participation means. This may relate to duration, certain exercises, breaks or refraining from competitive forms.

Example: a quiet technical session is meant, but ends with several extra parties. Then the original plan has changed. A stop moment in advance helps to decide not only with much pain what was enough.

There is no universal number of minutes that is safe for each elbow. Let the build-up match your current capabilities and discuss what you do in case of an adverse reaction. Temporarily choosing a different form of movement can also be part of the plan, without a promise that the symptom will disappear faster.

Material and technique: useful subject, no miracle solution

Thuisarts calls discussing technique and racket with a trainer as an opportunity for sports related symptoms. That's a reason to see if the material and use suits you. It is not proof that one racket weight, grip size or string tension solves any elbow symptom.

Ask what a proposed change is doing practically. Does the racket feel more comfortable, does the execution become easier or do you have to squeeze differently? Try changes where possible under similar circumstances.

Do not always buy new material without evaluating. If the total playing load stays the same and you change multiple parts at the same time, it becomes difficult to see what helps. A useful material conversation is next to explanation about load and diagnosis, not above it.

Speak the same language in and out of the job

Your clinician and trainer look from different roles. One judge symptoms and functioning, the other see how you play. It helps when the agreements complement each other.

The card is a consultation tool, not a medical training schedule. Make the appointments short enough to remember on the track.

Also tell me when you're planning important games. That changes your wish, but doesn't prove that the elbow is more loadable. A clear conversation prevents a calendar date from becoming a medical boundary unnoticed.

If the symptoms remain or change

There is no guaranteed quick solution for a tennis or golf arm. The Dutch patient information does not recommend shockwave and brace treatment as a standard route. Choosing a new treatment because a tournament is approaching requires extra clear explanation.

Please contact us if your hand function decreases, the elbow becomes clearly thick or red or normal movements fail. Tingling or loss of feeling may require a different assessment than a tendon symptom.

Discuss what has already been specifically adapted in case of persistent symptoms. Less played can mean a lot. With your play overview you better see if the plan was feasible, if the diagnosis is still in place and which next step really adds something.