Which is worse for your elbow.. stiff frame? or stiff strings?

[chopstic]

What do you think contributes more to tennis elbow. A stiff frame or stiff strings? I know technique is probably number one, but what do you think the next biggest risk factor is?

Take a stiff frame like the Pure Drive Roddick+ with soft multifilaments and compare it to a soft frame like the exo3 Tour 100 with a full bed of stiff polys. Which setup would be worse for the elbow?

[namja]

I wanna say the strings & the tension of the stringing.

[LanEvo]

I would say strings as well.

[maxpotapov]

Originally Posted by chopstic

Which is worse for your elbow.. stiff frame? or stiff strings?

Stiff arms?..

I'd say, until you develop proper technique why risk with any stiff frame and/or stiff strings?

Personally I recommend beginners to use full natural gut. Aside from safety concerns, that will teach them to be calm and watch the ball carefully, or else it's $50 every shank

[BreakPoint]

Hard to say. I've gotten tennis elbow from using a stiff frame with soft strings and I've gotten tennis elbow from using a flexy frame with stiff strings. So to me, they are both bad for your elbow, but I think the damage comes quicker with stiff strings.

[sansaephanh]

If anything hurts, change everything you can... I developed tennis elbow recently because of dead multi. The second i switched to a new bed, it was almost instantly cured.

Checklist in priority

1. Technique
2. Strings
3. Racket

I think it comes down to that order through common sense AND cost effectiveness.

[bugeyed]

Stiff frame. Most pain comes from missing the sweet spot & soft strings don't cushion the impact well when you hit the ball high in the stiff frame. I feel that a flexible frame is the safest way to go. If strung tight, the frame will still absorb some of the shock. Actually, a soft frame with stiff strings will flex more at impact than with loose strings.

Cheers,
kev

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by sansaephanh

If anything hurts, change everything you can... I developed tennis elbow recently because of dead multi. The second i switched to a new bed, it was almost instantly cured.

Checklist in priority

1. Technique
2. Strings
3. Racket

I think it comes down to that order through common sense AND cost effectiveness.

I agree with this order but the gap between 2 and 3 is very small. Both can do harm to your arm if they are stiff.

[Johnny-Cage]

I would say stiff strings cause more harm than stiff frames. I started having tennis elbow when I strung my K-Tours with a full bed of poly. Now, I'm back to using hybrids or pure gut and my elbow is starting to heal.

[Long Face]

My personal experience:

A stiff frame hurts my wrist.

A dense/stiff string bed hurts my elbow.

[sunof tennis]

Originally Posted by mikeler

I agree with this order but the gap between 2 and 3 is very small. Both can do harm to your arm if they are stiff.

Completely agree. Of course, most people don't want to hear about No. 1

[LeeD]

Both.
If you get shot in the torso and shot in the upper chest, which wound to you address first?

[UCSF2012]

My wrist hurts when I mistime WW forehands, b/c WW forehands are wristy. My elbow hurts on backhand shanks, because my arm is at full extension on the 1hbh.

Get your timing right and nothing hurts.