Anyone for tennis?
Dated: 20 June 2012
Apart from keeping your fingers crossed for good weather this Wimbledon, if you feel like dusting off your racquet the British Chiropractic Association has some good advice.
However as the majority of us do not share the tennis skills of Murray, Federer or Nadal, the British Chiropractic Association cautions you to take it easy.
Tim Hutchful from the British Chiropractic Association says: “With the nation as a whole leading an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, it is great to see people out and about making the most of the summer weather, however it is important that everyone approaches all forms of physical activity with care so as not to do any long term damage. “Common injuries that can occur whilst playing tennis include tennis elbow, wrist strain, back pain and tendonitis of the shoulders and knees"”.
Follow these simple steps courtesy of the British Chiropractic Association:
- Warm up. Make sure your muscles are prepared by gradually increasing the intensity of your warm up, to avoid lack of flexibility and injury. A warm down may also help with those post match aches.
- Watch the pressure points. Your joints are most at risk due to the repetitive nature of actions such as serving, ground strokes and volleying.
- Keep drinking fluids – muscles and joints work better when you are not dehydrated.
and if you just propose to watch the tennis rather than play it, don't get too familiar with the sofa:
- Don't sit for more than 30-40 minutes, try standing up every twenty minutes and moving around.
- Make sure you keep active during game breaks to give your body a change of position and shake out any stiffness.