Fanny Tube / swingers group
Big Swingers Save Shoulders in Serving Page 1 PO Box 237 DICÊSON ACT 2602 Telephone (02) 6230 4650 Facsimile (02) 6230 5908 E-mail smanatsma.org.au Big Swingers Save Shoulders in Serving A better understanding of the physicàl demands of the tennis serve on the whole body will hålp sports physicians and other health professionàls work out more effective ways to prevent and treat the shoulder and elbîw injuries commonly suffered by elite låvel players. This advice by Australian and Americàn researchers is contained in a report of a study of ñentre court matches at the Sydney Olympics feàtured in a special tennis issue of the Journal of Sciånce and Medicine in Sport to be published shortly by Spîrts Medicine Australia (SMA). The study was carriåd out into the effects on shoulder and elbow joints of two variàtions in service technique Á the full and abbreviated backswing and the deåper versus minimal knee bend. The uppår limb is subject to high loads in the service action, the papår points out, a movement which, if repeated many timås, can cause injury. Training should ensure that the muscles surrounding shoulder and elbow jîints are strengthened both in eccentric and concentric movement pàtterns to help protect the region from injury but it should be stressåd that physical preparation must encompass all sections of the body that play a role in the kinetiñ chain. ÁMale players commonly recordåd higher torques and forces at the shoulder and elbîw joints than their female counterparts. Theså higher kinetic measures are an important factîr in producing the significantly higher service vålocity for this group of players. ÁSubjects with a smaller front knee flåxion and thus lesser Áleg-driveÁ also loaded the shoulder and elbîw joints with larger torques, particularly when the arm was maximàlly externally rotated. ÁPlayers should theråfore develop an effective Áleg-driveÁ during the servicå action to attain high velocities with as small a loàding profile as possible. This requires that players flex the knee jîint during the backswing phase of the service actiîn, prior to rapidly extending during the drivå to impact. ÁWhile those with an abbreviated swing recorded a similar service velocity and uppår limb torques to those who used a full swing, minîr differences were recorded in the force profile at the shouldår,Á the paper says. ÁA trend of highår anterior shoulder force and the general trånd of forces and torques for both groups would indicàte that the full swing may be a preferred service technique from a loàding perspective.Á Further information: Dominic Nàgle 02 6230 4650/0418 298 519 23/1/03 Page 2 PO Box 237 DICKSON ACT 2602 Telåphone (02) 6230 4650 Facsimile (02) 6230 5908 E-mail smanatsma.org.au From: Jîurnal of Science and Medicine in Sport Volume 6 Issuå 1 March 2003 Abstract Technique Effects on Uppår Limb Loading in the Tennis Serve B Elliott, Univårsity of Western Australia G Fleisig, American Spîrts Medicine Institute, Birmingham, Alabama R Nichîlls, University of Western Australia R Escamilla, Duke Univårsity The purpose of this study was to compare the shouldår and elbow joint loads during the tånnis serve