MONDAY NIGHT INJURY CLINIC

The Sports Injury Clinic holds a regular Monday night injury clinic. Between 6pm and 8pm clients can receive injury management from the weekend’s activities at a reduced rate, phone 9783 9990 anytime on Monday to secure your time.

Our Physiotherapist will assess, treat and direct a rehabilitation program for your players’ immediately as well as an active management plan to avoid spending more time than is necessary the on sidelines. On the day of assessment our physiotherapist will contact and report to the injured players coach or manager by phone or email to report findings and outcomes. You will also have immediate access to Sports Medicine Doctors for assessment and investigations if required. A Monday night injury clinic session is fully covered by your private health fund with no gap to you, or in the event you don’t have private health insurance the cost is $20.

Preventing Tennis Injuries

Facts on tennis injuries

Tennis is a popular international sport catering to all ages and skill levels.

Statistics from the Australian Sports Commission’s 2005 survey showed an estimated 1.25 million Australians aged 15 years and older played tennis in the 12 months prior to being surveyed.

Tennis is a sport that can be played on a variety of surfaces (grass, artificial grass, hard court surfaces such as plexicushion and plexipave and clay/entoutcas), which requires speed, power, endurance, balance and coordination. As a result, injuries can and do occur.

How many injuries?

• The rate of tennis injury in the general population is five injuries per 1,000 hours of participation.
• From 2002-2003, 505 people were admitted to hospitals across Australia for tennis-related injuries, at a rate of 33 injuries per 100,000 tennis players.
• In 2006, 127 people were admitted to Victorian hospitals while 382 people visited Victorian emergency departments for tennis-related injuries.

The causes and types of injuries

• Lower limb (ankle, knee, and thigh) injuries are most common and are caused by the sprinting, stopping, pivoting and pounding nature of tennis. Lower limb tennis injuries tend to be traumatic or acute (joint sprains and muscle strains, eg. sprained ankle or strained hamstring).
• Upper limb (elbow, shoulder, wrist) injuries are usually caused by the high-velocity and repetitive arm movements required in tennis. These injuries tend to be overuse or chronic (joint inflammation, eg. ‘tennis elbow’).
• Back injuries and pain are common due to the rotation required to hit groundstrokes and volleys and the hyperextension of the back when serving and smashing.

Factors affecting your injury risk

• Different court surfaces.
• Condition of tennis balls used.
• Type of racquet.
• Playing technique.
• Weather extremes.
• Inappropriate footwear.
• Poor physical conditioning.
• The amount and level of participation.
• Poor injury rehabilitation.

Safety tips for tennis

Good preparation is important

• Avoid playing with a pre-existing illness or injury. If in doubt, talk to a medical practitioner.
• Always warm up, stretch and cool down.
• Maintain an adequate fitness level. Undertake specific conditioning and training exercises that simulate tennis (ie. acceleration, deceleration, twisting, turning, stretching).

Good technique and practices will help prevent injury

• Seek instruction from a qualified coach to develop correct skills and techniques.
• Avoid over-repetition of any one type of shot. Practise a range of strokes including groundstrokes, serves, return of serves, overhead smashes and volleys.

Use appropriate equipment and make the environment safe

• Use a racquet suitable for your style of play and physical capabilities. Players, especially those with arm and shoulder injuries, should seek professional advice when selecting a racquet and choosing string tension.
• Use tennis balls appropriate for the playing surface. Avoid using wet or flat/dead balls.
• Check and maintain the playing surface to ensure it is in good condition and free of hazards.

Wear the right protective equipment

• Seek professional advice on footwear.
• Players with a history of joint injury should seek professional advice about taping or bracing before play.

Modify rules and equipment for children

• Encourage children and beginners to participate in grass roots tennis programs such as Aviva Tennis Hot Shots, First Serve or similar beginner programs delivered by local clubs and coaches, to introduce new players to the game through modified equipment such as mini-nets and decompression balls. This will help new players develop good tennis skills and correct technique.
• Children should use equipment suitable to their age, size and ability.

Other safety tips

• Be sunsmart. Wear sun-protective clothing, a hat, sunglasses and SPF 30+ sunscreen.
• In hot conditions, seek shade before, during and after play, and avoid playing in the middle of the day, if possible, when UV rays are most intense.
• Eat a well-balanced diet.
• Drink water before, during and after play.
• Do NOT play in extreme heat/humidity or wet/cold conditions.

If an injury occurs

• Stop playing if you experience an injury or illness.
• Injured players should seek prompt attention from qualified first aid personnel or a sports medicine professional.
• Injuries should be fully rehabilitated before returning to play.

This article was provided by SmartPlay, to see the original document with references click here.

A PRO-ACTIVE 2008 FOR YOUR CLUB

The Sports Injury Clinic gives you tips and offers services that can help your club be pro-active in preparation on the training track and ultimately lead to improved performance on the field.

Ground conditions affected by the drought are just one of the challenges we face during 2008 in getting your players up to peak condition.

However, with The Sports Injury Clinic’s AFL approved programs and player management systems, we can implement effective strategies for your club in a structured and pro-active way, 7 days a week.

Some of the concerns coaches consistently raise with us include injury reoccurrence, non structured training nights and rehabilitation programs.

The Sports Injury Clinic can address all these issues positively, working within your current club infrastructure.

What can we do for your club?

Assistance 24 hours a day

Your club will have access to an on-call physiotherapist who will give immediate assistance for players, coaches and trainers 24 hours a day. Just call 1800 351 421 for on-the-spot advice.

Exercise Physiology

The Sports Injury Clinic’s qualified Exercise Physiologists can come to your club and conduct specialist training sessions. They can also assist with structuring your training year based on prior knowledge of football injury and best outcomes. Exercise physiology sessions are also available on-line for your club during training and specialist injury sessions. (i.e. Hamstrings, groins, quads, knee/ankle injury.)

Injury Updates

You will receive 20 Injury Updates per year which will give you facts and information regarding certain injuries for use by coaches and players.