Preventing Wrist Injuries

The extreme range of motion in the wrist may be contributing to the rise of injuries. Wrist injuries appear to be on the rise in tennis. The Venus Williams animation shows one potential reason why this may be so. Watch the extreme position and downward bending (ulnar deviation) of the right wrist as she prepares to accelerate the racquet forward to ball contact. Although different players use this position to different degrees on different balls, it ahs become a widespread component of the two-handed backhand technique. Why? It allows the players to drop the racquet head much further below the path of incoming ball to produce greater topspin. As the players begin the forward swing, the wrist, arm, and racket rotate upward with great force. When players move backwards through the hit, as is also common in high level tennis, this limits the linear momentum and places an even greater demand on the upper body segments. When players move backward there is more potential for stress in upper body segments. Implications for Injury The repetitive use of the wrist in this fashion, and the force generated through this extended range of the motion, place greater stress on the tendons that…