These muscles in the forearm act to extend the wrist and therefore can affect squash players too, particularly if you repetitively use your wrist in various other daily activities such as using manual tools or typing at a computer.  Typically the inflammation is not controlled which leads to a chronic situation whereby the collagen in the tendon is affected and thus an accumulation of scar tissue develops at the outside aspect of the elbow.

Signs and symptoms to look for if you have tennis elbow
• Symptoms usually develop insidiously and tend to get progressively worse over time.
• Tenderness is localized on the bony prominence along the outside of the elbow- the lateral epicondyle.
• Pain can occur when gripping a racquet, shaking hands, turning doorknobs
• Weakness of various muscles in shoulder, forearm, and wrist.
• Decrease in range of motion in the wrist and elbow.
• Pain that radiates from the outside of your elbow into your forearm and wrist

Essentially, the various external forces (e.g. hitting a squash ball, using a screwdriver) exceed the tolerance of the soft tissues (muscles and tendons) and therefore this must be corrected in order promote recovery and prevent any future occurrences.  Here are some tips to consider if you have lateral elbow pain:

Tip One: Reduce the size of your grip.  A larger grip places increased forces through the muscles at the forearm and elbow.

Tip Two: Try to use a lighter racquet.  The heavier the racquet the more muscle force needed by the forearm muscles.

Tip Three: Decrease the tension in the strings.  Tightly strung racquets produce more vibration which is then conducted up the arm particularly when the ball is hit off center.

Tip Four: Correct the mechanics of your stroke – poor technique might be causing you to use your wrist excessively.  Get advice from the club pro.

Tip Five: Rest and Ice – Give your body time to recover by resting the wrist and forearm muscles.  Use the time away from the court to improve your cardiovascular endurance by doing interval training on the Stairmaster.   Placement of ice over the outside of the elbow three times a day for duration of 15 minutes
is an effective way of controlling inflammation.

Be sure to get assessed by a healthcare professional in order to ensure an accurate diagnosis as there are many conditions which may affect the elbow and its surrounding structures.


Stay tuned to www.Squash360.com as we will be covering specific exercises and regimens for conditioning and injury prevention.

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