NoExcusesGym

Playing tennis is a great way to burn off the calories, slim down, stay in shape and enjoy numerous other health benefits. But there’s one byproduct that’s not so good - painful tennis elbow.
 
Researchers apparently have gotten a grip on the relationship between the development of tennis elbow, or “tendonitis,” and the size of the handle on your racket. 

A grip that is either too big or too small for your hand is not a factor in whether you develop tendonitis. About the only thing the grip’s size will help is the force with which you can smash the ball, said Dr. George F. Hatch, an orthopaedic surgeon in University of Southern California’s medical school.

“Clinicians who treat patients with tennis elbow often tell them to try a different size grip in order to alleviate muscle fatigue,” Hatch said. “Our study demonstrates that those recommendations have no scientific basis. Therefore, it is reasonable to recommend whatever grip size feels most comfortable for them.”

Most common injury 

Tennis elbow is the most common upper extremity complaint among recreational players, accounting for up to 85 percent of elbow injuries. Researchers believe the injury results from repetitive impacts between the ball and racket, coupled with poor wrist stability, especially during the backhand swing.

The backhand stroke seems to be the culprit because it results in overexertion and tearing within two primary muscles inside the forearm, Hatch said.

Hatch and researchers at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic studied 16 NCAA Division I and II tennis players with no prior history of elbow problems. Twelve players were right-handed; four left-handed.

All players were proficient at using a one-handed backhand. Players’ recommended grip size was determined by the industry standard of using a ruler to measure the distance from the bottom lengthwise crease in the palm to the tip of the ring finger.

Picking a grip size 

The researchers inserted electrodes into five different muscles in each player’s dominant arm to measure the firing pattern of their muscles. After warming up, players performed three single-handed backhand strokes using identical model rackets with three different grip sizes.

One-quarter inch size variations were chosen because most commercially available adult-sized rackets have grip sizes ranging from 4 inches to 4 5/8 inches. A ball machine set at a constant speed and angle provided consistent ball delivery, as each player’s strokes were captured on high-speed video.

Of the five forearm muscles studied, none showed significant variations in firing patterns during the backhand stroke’s accelerated forward motion, impact with the ball, and early follow-through.

Larger and smaller grip sizes also didn’t affect the two muscles located beside each other in the forearm and originate from the bony prominence on the outside of the elbow. Overuse, trauma and failed healing in both of these muscles can result in tennis elbow.

“We recommend recreational tennis players use the currently accepted grip size measurement technique as a starting point in when picking a grip size,” Hatch says. “However, the player should feel free to increase or decrease the size of the grip based upon what feels most comfortable, because previous studies have shown that improper form is one of the biggest risk factors for the development of tendonitis.”

(by Marcela Vanharova)