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COURT
TALK -
WINTER 2016
PAGE 9
T
he 2016 North Shore Open was
another success for the
North
Sydney Sports and Chiropractic
(NSSC)
team. This year
Cameron
Hobbs
, a new physiotherapist at NSSC,
joined
Andrew Lim
at the tournament.
Cameron is also a member of the
Kooroora Tennis Club. Compared to
previous years, we noted a reduction
in player retirements, which may be
attributed to the change in tournament
dates to a cooler time of the year. This
is a positive sign for the tournament in
future years.
We completed over 50 treatments
over the 5 days of play. It became clear
that the deeper the players went into
the tournament, the more treatments
they required. An alarming observation
was that players were coming into the
tournament with pre-existing injuries,
which is not conducive of optimal
performance or career longevity.
The 5 most common injuries we saw
during the tournaments were:
1) Shoulder pain
2) Lower back pain
3) Hip pain
4) Neck
5) Forearm/Wrist
These findings appear to fall in line
with most scientific studies, and previous
clinical experience with tennis players.
Tips for Players in future Tournaments
- It is common to play up to 4 matches a
day in tournaments. This isn’t ideal, but
a pre-tournament conditioning program
should be designed to allow for multiple
matches a day.
- Eating and refuelling: Refuelling after
matches is vital for recovery, particularly
if you have multiple matches per day.
Don’t forget eating and drinking during
your matches is also important. This
allows you to maintain a high intensity
throughout the match and avoid ‘dips’ in
performance.
- Recovery is a preparation for your
next match, and is often overlooked.
Sometimes the only solution to post-
match fatigue is rest and sleep, but be
sure to follow a specific warm-down or
recovery program to optimise future
tournament performance
- A good warm up routine before
matches should prepare your muscles,
nervous system and your mind for the
match. The warm up should simulate
match play movements/scenarios.
- Any pre-existing injuries should
be addressed in the weeks/months
leading up to your next tournament.
This can be difficult to do if there is
a busy tournament period, however,
it may require focusing more on
injury prevention rather than injury
management (i.e. prehab vs rehab)
- Utilise any therapists present
throughout the tournament from day
one to help you speed up recovery but
to also prevent fatigue related injuries
occurring as you play more matches.
Andrew Lim and Cameron Hobbs
are both therapists at
North Sydney
Sports and Chiropractic
. Andrew
is a Certified Tennis Performance
Specialist (CTPS) from the International
Tennis Performance Association
(ITPA). Cameron is a former Tennis
Australia coach and player. Andrew and
Cameron specialise in Injury Prevention,
particularly in the junior population,
and regularly consult with coaches and
trainers around Sydney.
Andrew and the NSSC team have
been official treatment providers at the
North Shore Open since its inception in
2009. The NSTA is extremely grateful
for their support and expertise which
adds another dimension to the NSO.
NSO
CHIRO REPORT