Best way to start playing after TE recovery?

What's the best way to start playing again...?
the injury seems to be gone (was caused by improper one handed backhand) took 3+ weeks off and tried to hit lightly just the forehand... 15-20 minutes.. no pain during the game.. wearing Band-x elbow strap

next day felt the tension again.. not severe but enough to be annoying.... taking another 2 weeks off now but not sure when and how to start playing again...

Flex bar (blue) and dumbells don't hurt..

just trying to determine if the tendon is strong enough for the game...

I think you are doing it right. Start out with light hitting sessions and avoid that 1 handed backhand on the first two or three. Maybe try a 2 hander also. Tell us about your racket stiffness, strings and string tension.

I'm using Head Radical LM Mid with technifiber x-one biphase 16 at 58.
I've been using this set up for several years now and never had a problem.
for the past 2 monts I worked on my one handed backhand that was always my weak spot. i guess I worked on it too hard
So I I'll probably be switching to 2 handed backhand after all.

I'm also 38 so i guess age doesn't help much here either.

Have any of you tried hitting wiht the left hand (not lefties)? I know it will be hard to learn but i'm willing to give it a chance and hope it will help with my 2hbh.

the question is should I try a different raquest/string during recovery?
I have wilson six one 95 with Techifiber x-one 17 at 58 - I'm afraid this one is a bit too stiff and heavy
also have new Head radical Youtek Pro with Techifiber x-one 17 at 58 that i did have a chance to hit with beacuse of the injury

Ilyam3 said:

I'm using Head Radical LM Mid with technifiber x-one biphase 16 at 58.
I've been using this set up for several years now and never had a problem.
for the past 2 monts I worked on my one handed backhand that was always my weak spot. i guess I worked on it too hard
So I I'll probably be switching to 2 handed backhand after all.

I'm also 38 so i guess age doesn't help much here either.

Have any of you tried hitting wiht the left hand (not lefties)? I know it will be hard to learn but i'm willing to give it a chance and hope it will help with my 2hbh.

the question is should I try a different raquest/string during recovery?
I have wilson six one 95 with Techifiber x-one 17 at 58 - I'm afraid this one is a bit too stiff and heavy
also have new Head radical Youtek Pro with Techifiber x-one 17 at 58 that i did have a chance to hit with beacuse of the injury

Click to expand...

First off, my guess is that you are hitting your 1 hander too late. I know several people that have had to fix their technique to hit the ball earlier which in turn got rid of their TE. My tendon issues started when I was 35 and I still have them over a year later. I could see why you would play lefty to be pain free, but I don't think it would help your 2 hander much.

I'm not going to look up the stiffness ratings for all those items, but I'd stick with a soft multifilament string or natural gut if you can afford it. I would also use a stick with a maximum flex rating in the low 60s or better yet even lower. Make sure you string at the lowest recommended tension.

Mikeler's advice to "go slow" is right on.

Of your racquets, your new Radical Youtek pro has the lowest flex rating at 58, and would seem to be the best to come back with. The odd thing, however, is that Youtek is employed in the frame precisely because it is a material that stiffens more the harder you strike the ball. The idea for using this material (that originally was used as relatively flexible body armour in spots like skateboarding) is that you will have a lot of touch on slow shots, and more power on hard shots. But since Youtek only accounts for a minority of a frame's composition (most is carbon) it's hard to predict the actual stiffness your arm will be experiencing as you start ripping the ball. Again, with slow rally balls this frame should be okay. But if you want a really flexible frame, Kennex, Dunlop and Volkl have been known for their flexible feel. The Prestige line has been the most flexible of the Head racquets.

Your string choices should be fine. (Soft mutifibers and natural gut are the recommended strings as you come back from tennis elbow.) But there is less stress on you elbow is you string looser. You may find you can get back on court quicker by stringing in the low 50's at first, before gradually increasing the string tension as you gradually prove you can play more and hit harder.

One more note though. A flexible frame usually means you can string with less tension, as the flex in the frame helps provide some of the control you were relying on the higher string tension to provide. This could be the best way to preventing tennis elbow recurrence long term.

My elbow is finally at a point where I'm going to increase the tension a few pounds. If I feel any twinge of pain from that setup, I'll stop immediately and cut it out.

Ilyam3 said:

I'm using Head Radical LM Mid with technifiber x-one biphase 16 at 58.
I've been using this set up for several years now and never had a problem.
for the past 2 monts I worked on my one handed backhand that was always my weak spot. i guess I worked on it too hard
So I I'll probably be switching to 2 handed backhand after all.

I'm also 38 so i guess age doesn't help much here either.

Have any of you tried hitting wiht the left hand (not lefties)? I know it will be hard to learn but i'm willing to give it a chance and hope it will help with my 2hbh.

the question is should I try a different raquest/string during recovery?
I have wilson six one 95 with Techifiber x-one 17 at 58 - I'm afraid this one is a bit too stiff and heavy
also have new Head radical Youtek Pro with Techifiber x-one 17 at 58 that i did have a chance to hit with beacuse of the injury

Click to expand...

You are in one of two boats. Either you have an elbow that has been on the cusp of TE the whole time and something recently, perhaps tiny, tipped the scale over to obvious pain, or your elbow is perfectly fine, always has been and you have had a huge stress to the arm.

If it is the latter, you can probably do what you did before, slowly ramp up your playing and be fine forever.

If it is the former, I would change what you did before to lower your chronic risk of reinjury. Namely, I would change to gut and switch to a heavy, headlight stick. Preferably flexible.

Good luck.

Switch to a more flexible stick. This one is too stiff for you. Also, check out the tenex wrist shock absorber wrist band for tennis/golfer.

Grab a few packs of iso speed pro.Affordable and you'll be able to still hit with out any major flare ups,pending you take it easy.

Maxim Touch is another soft affordable multi.

Whatever you do, don't use a light,HH racket. It may seem like it will be easier on your elbow but it will bring the TE back.

Ilyam3 said:

What's the best way to start playing again...?
the injury seems to be gone (was caused by improper one handed backhand) took 3+ weeks off and tried to hit lightly just the forehand... 15-20 minutes.. no pain during the game.. wearing Band-x elbow strap

next day felt the tension again.. not severe but enough to be annoying.... taking another 2 weeks off now but not sure when and how to start playing again...

Flex bar (blue) and dumbells don't hurt..

just trying to determine if the tendon is strong enough for the game...

Click to expand...

This is how I came back from TE after about 6 weeks of rest. Once I started playing again I took it really slow. Did not play 2 days in a row for a while, but am now back to playing about 4 days a week with no pain.

1. Heat area for 10 minutes. Put reuseable heating wrap on while driving to
court.
2. Stretch
3. Band-it
4. Play.Left Band-it on until I got home to ice.
5. Ice

dirkpitt38 said:

This is how I came back from TE after about 6 weeks of rest. Once I started playing again I took it really slow. Did not play 2 days in a row for a while, but am now back to playing about 4 days a week with no pain.

1. Heat area for 10 minutes. Put reuseable heating wrap on while driving to
court.
2. Stretch
3. Band-it
4. Play.Left Band-it on until I got home to ice.
5. Ice

Click to expand...

I also forgot to mention I dropped my string tension 5 lbs to 55 and added some weight to the bottom of my stick to make it more head light. I have sworn off any poly strings for life.

dirkpitt38 said:

This is how I came back from TE after about 6 weeks of rest. Once I started playing again I took it really slow. Did not play 2 days in a row for a while, but am now back to playing about 4 days a week with no pain.

1. Heat area for 10 minutes. Put reuseable heating wrap on while driving to
court.
2. Stretch
3. Band-it
4. Play.Left Band-it on until I got home to ice.
5. Ice

Click to expand...

I keep a heating pad on my elbow for the 20 minute commute to the courts. Then I put a neoprene band on my elbow for the match. After I play, I get those high end zip locks where no water can escape and grab a large rectangular block of ice from the machine and apply it on my 20 minute ride back. I ice for 2 days and then apply heat after that.

dirkpitt38 said:

I also forgot to mention I dropped my string tension 5 lbs to 55 and added some weight to the bottom of my stick to make it more head light. I have sworn off any poly strings for life.

Click to expand...

I'm with you. My poly experiment is over. I'm finally to the point where I can hit with my racket at the midpoint of the tension range. Other than that, almost every other thing about my setup is very arm friendly.