Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

From an outsider’s perspective, tennis probably isn’t viewed as all that physical of a sport. You’re not getting tackled like a football player, boxing out for a rebound like basketball players or running miles around the field like a soccer player, but don’t tell a tennis player that their sport isn’t physical. Tennis is incredibly physical, especially on a person’s back.

We talk to a lot of our patients about their hobbies, and oftentimes tennis comes up as something they pursue as a form of exercise or because they simply enjoy the sport. We love that our patients are staying active, but we also like to touch base about some of the ways they can protect their spine from injury if they play tennis regularly. We decided to put that advice in blog form and share those tips for preventing back pain on the tennis court.

Protecting Your Spine While Playing Tennis

Whether you’re arching your back as you lob the ball up to serve, twisting it as you complete your serve, torquing your spine on forehand and backward shots or simply allowing your spine to absorb the stress of running all over a hard surface for an extended period of time, your spine and the structures that support it are going to feel the stress of the activity the next day. Unlike golf or baseball where you’ll be putting a pretty predictable swinging motion on your spine, tennis requires you to hit all kinds of shots and twist your back in all sorts of directions. Do this too often, without proper preparation or simply at an awkward angle, and a muscle could tear or a spinal disc could shift out of a healthy position.

We don’t say this in hopes that you’ll stay away from the activity. We want our patients to stay active and pursue the activities they love, but we want them to come in with knowledge of how to protect their back from injury before, during and after a round of tennis. Here’s our advice:

• Stretch – Don’t just hop out of your car, walk onto the court and start hitting balls. Take 5-10 minutes to stretch your back, your shoulders and your lower body so that these structures begin to get acclimated to different movements so that they can handle these stress patterns more easily when you’re on the court.
• Get Fitted – Get properly fitted for a racket. There are stiff and more flexible options, and sizes and weight should be based on the height and strength of the player. Playing with a tennis racket that is too big or too heavy can place additional strain on your back during your swing.
• Practice Proper Form – If you’re serious about pursuing tennis as a long term hobby, it doesn’t hurt to invest in some lessons to ensure your form looks correct. Poor swinging form can put a lot of extra strain on your spine. If you’re unaware that your form is off because you’ve never been taught the most efficient ways to swing the racket or address different shots, you’re leaving yourself exposed to a back injury.
• Improve Your Core – The foundation of a healthy spine is a strong core. Odds are you’ll feel it in your abdomen after a session on the tennis court, so be sure that you’re strengthening your core when you’re not on the court. One or two exercise programs during the week that spend some time on your core muscle development can serve to protect your back when you’re playing tennis.
• Shoes Matter – The shoes you wear while playing tennis can also play a role in whether or not you suffer an injury. You want to find a tennis shoe with good traction for moving around the court, but you’ll also want a comfortable pair that absorbs some shock so that significant stress isn’t forced upwards on your ankles, knees, hips and spine.
• Don’t Overdo It – It’s wonderful that you found an activity you love, but don’t go from never playing tennis to playing four times a week right out of the gates. Give your body some time to adapt to the new activity and to recover from the rigors of tennis. Taking on too much activity too soon without ample rest can leave you susceptible to overstress injuries and soft tissue tears.

And of course, if despite all this advice, you still suffer a back injury or want to overcome a lingering issue so that you can get back to playing tennis, connect with Dr. Sinicropi and the team at Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.

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