Coach, do you have any advice for chronic elbow pain?
I can relate to that one. As a young man tearing up the courts with a 250g state of the art racquet I also tore up my elbow. My stroke mechanics were ugly ugly!! One day around Christmas of 1979 I felt a “pop” in my elbow as I hit a backhand. I could not longer hit a backhand of any kind. I could hardly grip the racquet. That started a 10 month journey from disaster back to winning the Long Island open (in those days in that tournament singles draws were around the 100 mark and doubles teams 32) in doubles the next year. How did I make that comeback?
1. At first I was in denial and tried to play through the injury. Cortisone shots, casts on my arm to immobilize my elbow and other gimmicks were tried but as soon as I played hard it came back.
2. I met Dave Peck, and changed my forehand and backhand mechanics and that cured the cause.
3. I met a great physical therapist who told me I was done as a tournament player unless I listened to him. That got my attention. We started an 8 week program of daily exercises starting with heat and finishing with ice. You can find these exercises if you google tennis elbow exercises. I should add we x-rayed the elbow to make sure it was not something structural or bone fragment related. You should always have a Doctor give you the green light on elbow rehab.
4. At the end of 8 weeks I practiced 30 minutes with an overbuilt handle so I would not over-grip the racquet. I also used a heavier racquet with less vibration. I did this for one week, 5 times.
5. At the end of the 9th week I played only one game three times per week. I continued with the exercises I started back 9 weeks earlier and continued with heat prior and ice after.
6. In the 10th week I played three games per workout and in the 11th week normal activity. I did get a band to protect the elbow and wore that for almost a year.
7. It should be pointed out that I cured the cause and the symptoms. Unless you change the cause, usually mechanics, you will cure the pain, not the injury. Several Doctors told me I needed an operation and I am so happy I did not listen to them. It worked out.
So my advice-make sure the injury is not structural so find a good Ortho-Doc. Do the physical therapy and do not try to cut corners. Finally, cure the cause as well as they symptoms. Make sure you are hitting the ball correctly