Warm-up, stretch and exercise to help prevent racquet sport injuries

With the weather beckoning us outside, I am seeing a lot of people playing tennis, paddle- and platform tennis, and even pickleball. Depending upon your skill level and your opponents’, these sports can be everything from a fun, low-impact game with friends to a fast-paced, cardiovascular workout. Regardless of your speed and whether you play on courts inside or outside, it is important to always warm-up and stretch before you play and incorporate specific in-season exercises into your regular workout routine to help prevent injuries.

Through my foundation, the Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Teaching & Research Foundation (OTRF), my health performance team and I developed two racquet programs based upon research and my personal experience as a sports medicine physician treating injuries the past 20 years. One program provides warm-up exercises to perform before your game and in addition to a daily exercise routine. The second program has in-season warm-up and strengthening exercises. These should be incorporated into your existing exercise regimen to help maintain strength and minimize injuries throughout your playing season.

Click to download a PDF copy of the OTRF warm-up program and/or the OTRF in-season warm-up and strengthening program. Or, email contactus@chudikmd.com for a printed copy. Make sure to include your complete mailing address. To see all of the OTRF sport-specific programs available as a PDF, visit https://www.otrfund.org/sports-performance-programs/.

If you experience a shoulder, knee or sports injury, you can schedule an appointment online so I can examine and diagnose the problem before it gets worse.  Someone from my staff will call you to confirm the appointment, office location and get additional information, if needed.  Or, you can email contactus@chudikmd.com to request an appointment.