Tennis Elbow - Equipment Modifications

You may find the following equipment modifications helpful if you suffer from tennis elbow but would like to continue with your racquet sports.

• Use a larger head on the racket, which causes fewer off centre hits.
• Use a graphite frame, which helps decrease vibration and dampens the impact to the elbow.
• String the tension 2 to 3 pounds lower than the manufacturer recommends, which also helps decrease impact forces.
• Play on slower surfaces, such as grass or clay, which absorb impact forces.
• Determine the correct handle size: measure from the tip of the ring finger along the thumb side to the crease across the palm closest to the wrist. If the measured distance is larger than the circumference of the handle, the handle is too large. If the handle size is too small, the leverage disadvantage is increased, which then increases the stress to the elbow.