ARTICLE
Proper Tennis Form and Tennis Elbow
Capitulum of humerus
Humeroradial joint
Figure 6 . Contraction of flexor digitorum superficialis and / or profundus to flex the fingers and grip an object would also cause the hand to flex at the wrist joint . To prevent this , wrist extensor musculature must isometrically contact to stabilize the wrist joint . ( Permission Dr . Joe Muscolino .)
L a t e r a l
Head of radius
A
Figure 7 . Anterior view of the lateral and medial epicondyles of the humerus on the right side of the body . Note how much smaller the lateral epicondyle is than the medial epicondyle . ( Permission Dr . Joe Muscolino .)
Proximal
Distal
Trochlea of humerus
M e d i a l
Humeroulnar joint
Ulna
M e d i a l
B
Proximal
Distal
L a t e r a l
Humerus
Humeroradial joint
Radius
It is often claimed that if a tennis player develops tennis elbow , then their form must be poor . This is simply not true . When executing a backhand , the hand is gripping the handle of the racquet , which in and of itself , could contribute toward the development of either golfer ’ s or tennis elbow because of the isometric contraction of the finger flexor muscles ( flexor digitorum superficialis of the golfer ’ s elbow group ) as well as isometric contraction of the wrist extensor musculature to stabilize the wrist ( primarily extensor carpi radialis brevis of the tennis elbow group ). During the backhand stroke , the hand should remain stable and not move into extension as the stroke is performed . Certainly , if the player does have poor form and does break the wrist into extension , then they are placing an additional stress force into the wrist extensor musculature of the tennis elbow group . But even if the wrist joint is held perfectly stable as it should be , the force of the ball hitting the face of the racquet would cause the wrist joint to collapse into flexion if it were not for the isometric stabilization of the wrist extensor musculature of the tennis elbow group . And when we look at the distance from the ball striking the strings at the racquet face to where the hand is gripping the handle , we see that there is a tremendous leverage force that multiples many times over the contraction force that is required of this musculature . And if the speed of the ball is great , the force increases even more .
What often causes a tennis player to develop tennis elbow is if they suddenly play more than they are accustomed to playing ( perhaps when Spring or Summer season begins after not having played all Winter ), or if they suddenly play with a player who hits the ball harder than they are used to . Similarly , these same concepts apply to the development of golfer ’ s elbow by a tennis player , although this will usually involve the forehand stroke and / or serve . Proper form when playing tennis minimizes the risk of the player developing golfer ’ s or tennis elbow , but it does not guarantee it .
88 | vol27 | no2 | JATMS