4G Rough destroyed my arm

[Dartagnan64]

This sounds like a typical case of TE. Older player, never had problems before, suddenly has significant lateral elbow pain that gets worse with more and more tennis. Adamantly tries to deny its the poly, because “it never hurt before”.

Every tendon has a capacity to adapt to the stresses until one day it doesn’t. Before that it can feel perfectly fine.

My advice: learn to love multifilaments. Use a theraband flex bar. Keep racket stiffness below 65 RA. Stretch and massage after play, don’t bother with ice. Warm up properly before play. Don’t waste money on cortisone.

 

[SFrazeur]

Update:

After taking 1800mg ibuprofen (3 capsules, 3x daily) for a month, wearing an arm band, and doing some stretching/strengthening exercises (all on the doctor's advice), the arm got slightly better, but the pain did not go away. So, the next step was the ever-famous cortisone shot. This was my first cortisone shot ever, and I was told that only 2 are allowed in the arm in a lifetime. Apparently the steroid can weaken the tendons in the joints.

Well, I had the shot almost 2 weeks ago, and so far, so good. There is still some slight pain, but nothing that affects my backhand volleys or 1-handed slice. However...

The biggest issue is what I did to my game while trying to play through the pain. In an attempt to 'soften' the blow on my backhand volley, I would not drive through the shot. Instead, I'd pull the racket back slightly just before contact, sometimes even breaking the wrist (I believe subconsciously I was bracing for the pain). This, of course, did nothing to help reduce the pain. It did, however, result in a crappy volley.

Fast forward to this past week, and I noticed my volley technique was completely messed up. Not that it was ever great, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I've made it over the last 3 months. Now I've got to go out & unlearn what I did while trying to play through the pain.

Bottom line: if you experience any kind of arm/elbow pain, STOP PLAYING! I know its hard to do, but the reality is you'll either (a) injure something else while compensating for the injury, or (b) ruin your technique on the stroke it affects as I did. If I had it to do over, I would put the racquets in the closet until the pain went away.

And when this shot wears off, if my pain comes back, that is exactly what I plan on doing.

Pacific's Futura TXT / FTX is the most comfortable multi I have used and it allowed me to continue after I had some TE from 4G until it got better.

 

[McLovin]

Adamantly tries to deny its the poly, because “it never hurt before”.

I'm presuming you're talking about others and not me? If not...have you read the title of the thread?

 

[kailash]

Similar story here. 4G for me. I even came to know about these forums, strings etc only after an episode of TE from using 4G.

Few years back: used mostly multis before and tried 4G in 16 gauge as I had no clue about strings. Could not hold any object after few weeks. Initially i did not know it was coming from the strings!! After some rest followed by two more sessions, found it was caused by 4G. Switched to multi and the problem went away.

Now i am using other softer polys in full bed or in hybrids. No more issues. Never going to use 4G or any poly in the 250 or above stiffness range!!!

 

[Dartagnan64]

I'm presuming you're talking about others and not me? If not...have you read the title of the thread?

Well you are at least admitting it was poly but trying to blame it on a single hit with one specific type of poly. That is the fools game. The one that tips you over the edge isn’t always the major problem. It’s the years of tendon abuse with other polys + age until finally with one day of a particular stiff poly, it decompensates.

Trying to go back to other polys because they weren’t “the cause of the TE” is where you are going to get into trouble.

 

[pennc94]

So many variables that contribute to injuries it’s difficult to pinpoint the cause. In many cases it can be several things.

Sorry to hear of your trouble. I had bad GE a year ago. I played with gut mains too! Ultimately I got PRP and sat out 9 months. I’m back at it now, so keep looking up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kevo]

Whenever I try out a new poly, or really any string for that matter, I try to note any discomfort in the wrist, elbow, or shoulder. If it's anything that repeats during other hitting sessions and it wasn't something I injured in a specific way or outside tennis, then I write that string off. There's too many good soft strings, including lots of softish polys, to mess with a string that causes issues.

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

The real scary thing is...4G Rough is like Meth. I know it will ruin me, but I'm seriously thinking of ways I could use it...maybe hybrid it w/ 4G Soft? I don't want to do the poly/multi thing. If that's the case, I'd just stick w/ my gut/poly mix (I string my own frames, so cost really isn't an issue).

Well the first time I demo'd a blade v8 was the 104 with 4G rough mains nxt control crossds unknown tension.

It was warm sunny weather (makes it way better) but this was the best feeling and top notch comfort I've ever felt. Played so good too

Anyway moral of story get yourself a blade v8 (very flexy plush comfy) and cross ur 4G rough with nxt control


Edit reread your post, gut and poly wouldnt be the same cause 4g rough not in the mains. And have seen it said nxt control feels even better than gut which based on that experience I agree