Tennis Technology and Training
In 2019 I developed pain in my racquet arm that got so bad I couldn’t extend it across my body to hit a backhand. I went to my local Airrosti clinic for diagnosis and treatment. The source of the arm pain was traced to tightness in my shoulder. Part of the rehabilitation that was prescribed was use of a lacrosse ball for myofascial release of adhesions in the shoulder. It worked.
A couple of weeks ago I posted a video of a drill demonstration with my friend Greg. As we reviewed that clip we each noticed things in our stroke mechanics that we want to correct. I was shocked to discover that I was holding my arm way too close to my body on my forehand and that I was rotating my hip in a way that restricted the the range of motion in my shoulder. I immediately wondered if that was an early sign of recurrence of the shoulder injury and subconscious modification of my mechanics to avoid pain in the arm.
On cue, my arm started to hurt this week. The good news is that I have a pretty good idea how to treat it so things don’t get as far out of hand as they did in 2019. That means that I am going to be spending some time leaning hard against a wall and a lacrosse ball.
While lacrosse balls are inexpensive and easy to find at the sporting goods store, they are a little awkward to use on the back of the shoulder. I am exceedingly bad at finding the right spot while keeping it in position. When dropped, my experience is that lacrosse balls almost always manage to come to rest under an adjacent piece of furniture. I spend an inordinate amount of time dropping and chasing when using a standard lacrosse ball.
Fortunately, I have a myofascial release ball that is attached to a cord. It greatly simplifies getting the ball into the right spot and I almost never drop it. It was a game changer for me and I own three of these devices scattered about my world.
If you ever have the need for myofascial release of the shoulder, I highly recommend the massage ball on a cord. The doctor who treated my injury in 2019 recommended that I continue to use the ball as a form of injury prevention going forward after my recovery. I didn’t and am now suffering the consequences.
 | in Motion Massage Ball on String Rope Hard to Reach Targeted Pain Relief Massagers |
