Abstract

This paper reports on the one year incidence of tennis elbow and other injuries in the largest lawn tennis club in Western Australia. Retrospective data were obtained from 260 players by postal questionnaire and interview. The results indicated that 10.4 of players at risk developed a first tennis elbow in the previous 12 months after a mean playing time of 21 years for men and 14 years for women. When compared to players who had either a previous history of tennis elbow or who had never suffered from a tennis elbow and whose mean playing time was 26 years, the only significant aggravating features were the use of an oversized aluminium racquet and having begun tennis in the third rather than in the second decade of life. Playing ability, length or frequency of play, length or type of warm up, associated degenerative musculoskeletal conditions, repetitive work or hobbies, grip size and type and tension of racquet strings were not related to the onset of tennis elbow. Other injuries occurred in 48 of players, three quarters of whom were incapacitated for longer than one week. Tennis elbow was only the sixth most common injury being preceded by injuries to the knee, shoulder, back, ankle and calf muscles. There was no association between sustaining a new tennis elbow and any other musculoskeletal injury. Verf.-Referat