Back Pain from Mishits?

I am an unofficial 3.0 player returning to the game after 15 years away. My father-in-law is a former state and conference champion (he played in both HS and NCAA). He was kind enough to hit some balls with our family on Saturday morning. I did my best and he said I did fine but man, my back is hurting. My mid/lower back hurts and I am leaning forward to compensate. I am thinking it started to hurt when I had a bunch of mishits, given that his shots were tough for me to handle.

Is it possible that the shock from the mishits traveled up through my arm to my back?

I play with a 24-year-old Prince oversize racket that was a hand-me-down from a family member. I have no idea what kind of strings are on it or what tension it is. The grip is kind of large since I over gripped it with some Prince splatter tape.

Thanks in advance for any help!

No way, this sounds like rust and the lack of "game" shape after a 15 years layoff.

There's a difference between gym fit, and game fit for the particular sport. Tennis is very demanding for the lower back.

Dang! OK- I guess that is more plausible. So I really actually, really do need to do the stretches and fitness work that my chiro and family told me I need to do. Thanks.

No. "Shock" of a mishit is not going to affect your lower back. However, being in an odd position when you hit the ball could have simultaneously caused you to mishit and put excessive torque on your back.

El Diablo said:

being in an odd position when you hit the ball could have simultaneously caused you to mishit and put excessive torque on your back.

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That is 100% likely. I am a hard worker but my technique is very raw. So that is likely what happened. I guess I will just rest/stretch/get back at it.

McPatrickClan said:

Dang! OK- I guess that is more plausible. So I really actually, really do need to do the stretches and fitness work that my chiro and family told me I need to do. Thanks.

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It will take some time for the back to feel all right.

Getting more fit will definitely decrease the chance for an early recurrence of your back pain.

Do you already have a good fitness plan?

charliefedererer said:

Do you already have a good fitness plan?

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Thanks for the post. I do not have a good fitness plan other than working my tail off on the court, stretching a little and eating fruit/vegetables with every meal.