Common Racket Sports Injuries

Racket sports are dominated by both the upper and lower extremities. Precision and power are needed for the upper body, while strength and endurance are needed for the legs.

There are a variety of sports that fall into this category: tennis, squash, racquetball, badminton, and paddle tennis. Racket sports are enjoyed by millions of recreational players and most are also hugely popular worldwide spectator sports; in fact they are played at all levels of society at all ages.

Many of the injuries that occur come from overuse, however acute injuries are quite common as well. An example of an overuse injury is lateral epicondylitis, more commonly known as “tennis elbow.” This is an injury to the outside of the elbow that occurs when people go from not playing to playing too much too quickly. Shoulder tendonitis and tennis elbow are the most common, followed by sprained ankles from quick changes of direction.

More common in older players is the Achilles tendon rupture, usually occurring in athletes over the age of 40 competing in cutting sports.

Shoulder

  • Rotator Cuff Tendinitis, Shoulder Bursitis, Impingement Syndrome
  • Shoulder Labral Tears

Elbow

  • Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)

Wrist

  • Dorsal Wrist Ganglion Cyst