Aching Thighs

[winstonlim8]

First of all, I just got my blood test results back and for the first time in 10 years, my blood sugar is normal. So YAY!

However, I seem to have a bit of a problem with aching thighs now. I had to stop playing for nearly a month because my father was ill and I had to take care of him. I wasn't able to play until after he passed away 3 weeks ago. The odd thing is that my serve changed completely almost without any conscious effort from myself.

I still hit with a platform stance but now I've got a more Edberg-style toss and I hit with a bit more topspin than before. Where I used to toss the ball about two feet into the court and up to two feet to my right (from my left shoulder), I now toss about a foot into the court and little more than one foot from my left shoulder. On second serves, the ball is almost right over my left shoulder.

The best thing is that I am actually serving fewer double faults, get more pace and with less difference between first and second serves now - I hit topspin serves down the centre in the Deuce Court or wide to the Ad Court and slice serves wide to the Deuce Court or down the centre in the Ad Court mostly. I only hit flat first serves when I'm ahead 40-0 or 40-15.

However, I find that my inner thighs ache quite badly if I play hard or play too many sets (up to 3 hours and 5 sets occasionally). I suspect it could be just because of the change in serve mechanics but I would have expected my knees to feel the pain - or at least the outer thighs and not the inner thigh muscles instead.

Is there anyone with enough anatomical/medical knowledge here who might be able to explain if my suspicions are right? I'm really curious to know.

 

[Chas Tennis]

First of all, I just got my blood test results back and for the first time in 10 years, my blood sugar is normal. So YAY!

However, I seem to have a bit of a problem with aching thighs now. I had to stop playing for nearly a month because my father was ill and I had to take care of him. I wasn't able to play until after he passed away 3 weeks ago. The odd thing is that my serve changed completely almost without any conscious effort from myself.

I still hit with a platform stance but now I've got a more Edberg-style toss and I hit with a bit more topspin than before. Where I used to toss the ball about two feet into the court and up to two feet to my right (from my left shoulder), I now toss about a foot into the court and little more than one foot from my left shoulder. On second serves, the ball is almost right over my left shoulder.

The best thing is that I am actually serving fewer double faults, get more pace and with less difference between first and second serves now - I hit topspin serves down the centre in the Deuce Court or wide to the Ad Court and slice serves wide to the Deuce Court or down the centre in the Ad Court mostly. I only hit flat first serves when I'm ahead 40-0 or 40-15.

However, I find that my inner thighs ache quite badly if I play hard or play too many sets (up to 3 hours and 5 sets occasionally). I suspect it could be just because of the change in serve mechanics but I would have expected my knees to feel the pain - or at least the outer thighs and not the inner thigh muscles instead.

Is there anyone with enough anatomical/medical knowledge here who might be able to explain if my suspicions are right? I'm really curious to know.

Not your issue. On occasion, I get serious cramps waking up at night on both my inner thighs, toward the posterior, so it is probably one of the hamstring muscles. Best guess - semimembranosus muscle of the hamstring. I am afraid to bend the knee with the cramp so I can't get up normally by bending the knee. If I can get up despite the pain, I walk around and that seems to help. No after effect of the cramps but they are incapacitating for a few minutes.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=409089

See if you can locate the muscle that has the pain. Thigh muscle pictures.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pic...sIMLnsASkgYHwCw&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1223&bih=739

I hope that you get some information.

 

[winstonlim8]

Thanks, Chas.

It's the adductor longus (both legs) in my case. It just feels stiff most of the time. It aches when I play a lot though it spasms quite painfully if I cough, for example.

Oh well, I guess it might be because I'm now bending my knees more directly under the ball instead of taking most of my weight on my left leg and swinging my derriere out towards the net when I come up to the ball on my serve.

It's not bad enough to make me stop playing completely even if my friends suspect that I've been indulging in the unmentionable kind of Doubles off the court when I'm not playing tennis.

 

[SpeedKillz]

honestly, your quads might just have to get used to playing tennis again. tennis is a lower body dominate sport and not playing for a while made your quads lazy.

give it some time, i am sure after two week, your legs will become stronger and the aching will go away. be sure to rest in between your playing time and hydrate.

 

[winstonlim8]

You're right, I think. The new and different knee bend also contributed some, I suspect. That and the fact that I put on 5 extra pounds because of the lay-off, the late nights looking after my father (and the snacking because of the cold hospital air-conditioning) probably means more strain on my legs.

I'll really have to discipline myself to get fit to play tennis - and NOT play tennis to get fit. *sigh*

 

[batool100]

Yes. I'm 10 weeks. rub them a lot, it helps the blood curculate and try not to sit for too long...

 

[Mrlucky986]

Remember to warm up before every game stretch thoroughly drink isotonic drinks replace minerals lost when you excercise and cool down after a game too

 

[winstonlim8]

Thanks, Batool and Mr Lucky. Sorry I didn't see your replies sooner.

I've been taking longer to warm up with a greater variety of slow stretches and drinking isotonic drinks regularly, but I am going to try rubbing my aching thighs with a non-irritating herbal ointment next time I play.

And the advice not to sit too much seems to make sense, too, though I'll have to think about how to do that since I have a desk job. I'll probably have to get up and stretch more often, I guess.

 

[ruerooo]

A couple of things. I don't know if you're on any statins, but I'm told they can mess with your electrolyte levels. So that may be a thing, and maybe an adjustment in meds in your future if you can control your conditions any other way.

Also, have you thought about Pilates as a method of conditioning, to strengthen those little stabilizer muscles we all didn't know we had till our performance changed? Big fans include Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, & Venus Williams.