Anyone experienced wrist or elbow pain from 18x20 string patterns?

[monologuist]

I've recently made my first foray into dense string patterns to see if it did indeed improve control. I've been playing with the Yonex Ti-70 Long 98" for the last month or so, coming from a Vantage custom 100". They are both about 12 oz. strung with 63 flex, about 10-12 pts. headlight. The Yonex swings lighter stock, but is also not as solid stock, so I added about 5 grams of lead at 3 and 9 each. I have it strung with BDE Performance Gut 17 mains/Gosen OG Sheep 17 crosses @ around 56 lbs. The Vantage is very similar in most specs as my modded Ti-70, except the beam is 1mm. thicker, it's 100" instead of 98", and has a 16x19 open pattern, making it considerably more powerful and spinny in the end, but also more comfortable.

I now have some pain in my wrist, and on the inside of my elbow (golfer's elbow from what I understand). I've had tennis elbow on the outside edge of my elbow before, but never on the inside like this.

So I'm trying to figure out if this is because of the switch to a high density string pattern or not....It'd be easier to tell if not for the fact that I also began changing my service motion around the same time as switching to the Yonex.

Anyway, I always get a little arm pain when I switch racquets, then I become acclamated and it goes away....but I've never gotten this type of inside edge elbow pain...so I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience when switching to an 18x20 pattern.

The good news is that the Yonex Ti-70 98" is truly an awesome frame....it has the best control of any racquet I've used, and you can still get some decent topspin if you have good technique, which I do. Unfortunately it is no longer made.

 

[louis netman]

All things being equal, a denser pattern will be more shock producing than an open one...You may have to change to a softer string and/or decrease tension to compensate...

 

[NoBadMojo]

your pain could be a delayed reaction to the vantage or comes from the yonnie...denser stringbeds make for boardier stringbeds and generally need strung looser to compensate, but your 56 lbs w. gut hybrid couldnt be the culprit...traditionally GE comes from a faulty forehand motion..the wrist could be caused from the serve motion or a grip change or a grip size change or anything...suggest you go back to whatever you were last using with no discomfort after allowing yourself some healing time

 

[OnyxZ28]

When I first used the Prestige Tour, strung at 60 lbs it hurt my wrist. Since then I've strung em' at 50 and no pain.

 

[BLiND]

dense patterns... always always string low.

 

[monologuist]

well...it probably isn't my forehand, as I've done nothing to change my mechanics on it recently...the only thing I changed was my serve mechanics...I'm using a more closed and wider stance, I'm tossing further right than I used to (about 1 o c'lock for first serve/12 o'clock for second versus 12 o'clock for my first/11 o'clock for my second), and not as far from my body (a foot or so instead of 2 ft...).

I usually string my open pattern frames around 60-62 lbs....I've got the Yonex at around 56 to make up for the high density, but maybe that's not low enough still (it's 50-60 range suggested)?

I should mention that I WAS using PSG w/Duraflex at first at about 57 lbs. with the Yonex, but switched to the gut at 56 lbs. AFTER my elbow was already hurting.

Would a layoff of a week without playing be enough to let things heal? That would be a bummer....I usually play 3 or 4 matches a week, and practice serving for 1.5 hours every other day.

 

[OnyxZ28]

A dead, loose string job plays better than a fresh, too-tight string job on a dense racquet, IMO.

 

[backhand_finish]

that's definite. dense patterns tends to send more shock.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

you'll have to reduce tension wrt 16x19 patterns. I reduced from 68lbs on 6.0 85 (NXT Tour 17) to 54lbs (Babolat Tonic 16) on PC600, but about 6-8lbs should be enough.

before reducing the tension, I had TE problems when serving with PC600, thus to make sure I also switched to nat gut. now I seem to be fine.

my experience is that there's less trampoline effect on these dense patterns, even at lower tensions. thus they offer more control.

 

[monologuist]

welll...by the time I drop the tension on a dense pattern down enough that it is as comfortable as an open pattern, I'll probably lose all the control benefits of the dense pattern, LOL!

Gut @ 56 lbs. on a 98" 18x20 should not, in of itself , be to blame could it? I wouldn't think so.

I went back to my Vantage 100", 16x19, strung with gut @ 58 lbs. today....there's no doubt it is more comfortable....it's also a bit too powerful! Maybe I'll try it with gut @ 62 lbs. Or will that negate the arm-friendliness of the gut?!

If only the racquets I played best with were also the racquets that were the friendliest to my body...sigh.

 

[Ronaldo]

The BS is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. Lose that tension, brah and crossover to the light.

 

[monologuist]

The BS is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work... when you go to church... when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. Lose that tension, brah and crossover to the light.

care to elaborate?