Preventing padel injuries: gestures to watch out for, the most common injuries and some warm-up exercises to avoid trauma
L padel is one of the sports whose popularity is increasing more and more, in Italy and in the rest of the world. In itself it requires few elements: two players, two rackets, a ball, a net and a small fenced court. As Dr. Vittorio Di GiacomoHead of Sports Traumatology of Humanitas San Pio X: “It is an apparently simple sport, but characterized by rapidity and sudden changes of direction and therefore full of pitfalls for the shoulder joint”.
Preventing padel injuries: gestures to watch out for
Incorrect grip of the racket can cause the so-called “tennis elbow”, Which has negative repercussions on the shoulder with overload and consequent risk of inflammation of the tendons.
Even gestures that exceed the height of the head can be dangerous for the shoulder joint, as they are not “natural” for our body. In particular, the riskiest technical gestures are the joke and it smash. “Obviously, the way to avoid problems is not to refrain from performing the athletic gesture, but to learn it correctly with the help of the instructor and carry it out in a controlled way during the game”, explains Dr. Di Giacomo.
Preventing padel injuries: the most common problems
In the players of padel we have, among the most common problems, the tendinitis – or inflammation of the shoulder tendons – and bunions, or inflammation of the subacromial bursa. Both cause pain that appears at night after playing.
The injuries of the head of the biceps, that is a large tendon that passes over the humeral head to fix itself on the scapula, are also very frequent. These can also depend on the repetitive and incorrect movement with which the ball is hit, especially if the gesture is very fast, to the point that the tendon can even break.
Let’s talk about SLAP lesion when the break occurs at the point where the head of the biceps inserts into the glenoid labrumwhich is the ring fixed around the margin of the glenoid cavity in the scapula.
Padel players can also encounter rotator cuff tendon injuries, due to repeated incorrect movements that can create a conflict with the acromion, which is the hook-shaped bone located in the longitudinal upper part of the shoulder.
Another frequent injury is the shoulder dislocationdue to the barriers around the pitch that players often collide with during the game.
Prevent padel injuries: listen to pain
“Pain is the first wake-up call of something not working properly. However, many people are convinced that they must try to tolerate it, and continue to do activities while waiting for it to pass, perhaps taking some anti-inflammatory but without really solving the cause of the problem. – specifies Dr. By Giacomo – Instead, as soon as the pain in the shoulder appears, you should stop playing and understand the cause that caused it to arise. In fact, the rest time required“.
“For example, – explains the expert – if the problem is themuscle fatigue because you play even 4-5 times a week then just reduce the activity to 1-2 days. If, on the other hand, the pain is related to a trauma, it is necessary to leave it to the specialist to evaluate during the orthopedic visit and strictly follow his indications, which could even go as far as performing a surgery in case of dislocation. If a dislocation is suspected, it is also very important to try not to resolve it by yourself, by manually returning the shoulder to its seat, but to contact the specialist or the emergency room to perform the appropriate diagnostic tests (radiographs) “.
Prevent Padel Injuries: Some Exercises
Shoulder injuries and inflammation while playing padel they can be prevented, perhaps by turning to your own physiotherapist to learn a routine of exercises that develop proprioception to be performed before each game.
In addition, exercises can be performed heating very simple, for example using the net of the field and an elastic, based on the movements of external rotation, internal rotation and abduction of the shoulder.
It is sufficient to tie the elastic to the net and take the other end in your hand: then you have to raise the arm diagonally with respect to the body, without ever exceeding the shoulder. These movements are very useful for warming up the shoulder before starting to play, and should be repeated 10-15 times each.
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