Can switching racquets lead to elbow pain?

[Mr_Zorg]

I've been playing with a Pure Drive 2015 strung with a full bed of poly for years and never had any issues. Recently, I started experimenting with racquets and tend to play each match with a different one. Match frequency is about 4 times a week. Currently at the best shape of my whole life (31 years old).

My other racquet is a Phantom Pro 100, probably the softest racquet on sale at the moment. I play easy matches with the Phantom and competitive matches with the Pure Drive. After the last match (with the Phantom) I noticed the elbow hurting. I doubt it's the actual racquet considering it's so flexy so I'm wondering whether it's the simple act of switching racquets and playing each match with a different one?

The Phantom does require me to swing faster and harder than I'm used to in order to create a good shot. The power difference between the two racquets is truly huge. Also, the weight is a bit different as well. The Pure Drive is about 7-10 grams heavier and has a slightly different balance (more head light).

As for the string, both of them are strung with Solinco Revolution 18. PD is at 23/22 kg and Phantom is at 21/20 kg.

Anyway, is my logic solid? Could switching between normal PD swings and fast Phantom swings be messing with my elbow?

 

[Dartagnan64]

Could be if you are swinging different. I try to get my sticks modded to a 330 SW and similat balance if I can.

Or it could just be the years of poly are finally starting to cause lingering damage. My tendons were fine with stiff sticks and poly until one day they weren’t. Being in shape doesn’t change the fact that the elbow tendons get less resilient with age. Look at all the pros that start getting lingering injuries in their 30’s and eventually have to give up competing.

Put some weight in the handle of the Phantom and lower the tensions a bit more to align the rackets up and see I guess. Or just ditch the poly.

 

[BHud]

Many are vulnerable to injury from any transition if you do not do it gradually. For example, let's say you go from stiff/powerful to soft/control, and you start taking much larger cuts at the ball to maintain power. If not managed effectively, you may be prone to significant muscle strain. Always allow your body time to adapt to a new situation.

 

[NicoMK]

It happened to me one year ago. I already explained this in another thread but briefly : played with the same racket for 19 (!) years. Wanted to switch for something a bit lighter and stiffer, to make it "easier". Same strings and tension though.

Played with the new frame (liked it) for a few months before experiencing the first elbow pains. Played some matches with the pain -- it was OK at the beginning -- and then it became much worse. I switched back to my older frame and decided to finish the tournament I was playing (that was a local and minor tournament but still…). It was my biggest mistake maybe.

It destroyed my elbow and, after one year, I haven't fully recovered yet. One year lost and barely no tennis

So, in answer to your question, yes, a racket switch (+ strings, tension etc.) can lead to elbow pain. Be very careful

 

[TagUrIt]

I've been playing with a Pure Drive 2015 strung with a full bed of poly for years and never had any issues. Recently, I started experimenting with racquets and tend to play each match with a different one. Match frequency is about 4 times a week. Currently at the best shape of my whole life (31 years old).

My other racquet is a Phantom Pro 100, probably the softest racquet on sale at the moment. I play easy matches with the Phantom and competitive matches with the Pure Drive. After the last match (with the Phantom) I noticed the elbow hurting. I doubt it's the actual racquet considering it's so flexy so I'm wondering whether it's the simple act of switching racquets and playing each match with a different one?

The Phantom does require me to swing faster and harder than I'm used to in order to create a good shot. The power difference between the two racquets is truly huge. Also, the weight is a bit different as well. The Pure Drive is about 7-10 grams heavier and has a slightly different balance (more head light).

As for the string, both of them are strung with Solinco Revolution 18. PD is at 23/22 kg and Phantom is at 21/20 kg.

Anyway, is my logic solid? Could switching between normal PD swings and fast Phantom swings be messing with my elbow?

I guess the obvious question is why are you changing racquets? Have you outgrown this the Babalot, Skill level increased, etc? You said the power difference between the two racquets is truly huge? Between that and with the Phantom you having to exert more of your own power. I’d say that’s the culprit.

 

[time_fly]

Switching racquets often gives me a little extra pain for a short time, especially if the swing weight is a noticeable change, as I tend to mis-hit more balls at first. I would only be concerned if the problem persists for more than a month or the pain progresses enough to make playing difficult.

The only time recently I played a racquet that destroyed my elbow, it took a few months for the problem to appear and progress to the point of being a big problem, well past the short adjustment period I am talking about here.

 

[max]

I think it was a factor in me getting a 3-year bout of tough TE. I was switching to a racquet with a much lower swingweight.

 

[t_pac]

It happened to me one year ago. I already explained this in another thread but briefly : played with the same racket for 19 (!) years. Wanted to switch for something a bit lighter and stiffer, to make it "easier". Same strings and tension though.

Played with the new frame (liked it) for a few months before experiencing the first elbow pains. Played some matches with the pain -- it was OK at the beginning -- and then it became much worse. I switched back to my older frame and decided to finish the tournament I was playing (that was a local and minor tournament but still…). It was my biggest mistake maybe.

It destroyed my elbow and, after one year, I haven't fully recovered yet. One year lost and barely no tennis

So, in answer to your question, yes, a racket switch (+ strings, tension etc.) can lead to elbow pain. Be very careful

What have you been doing to fix it? Tennis elbow should never take a year to recover.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Mr_Zorg]

I guess the obvious question is why are you changing racquets? Have you outgrown this the Babalot, Skill level increased, etc? You said the power difference between the two racquets is truly huge? Between that and with the Phantom you having to exert more of your own power. I’d say that’s the culprit.

To be honest, I just wanted to try something different. Been playing with Pure Drives for years and the Phantoms just looked... cool. Did a demo (albeit with Phantom 100) and had a lot of fun with it. It forced me to play more creatively which I liked. I'm an aggressive baseliner and rarely go to the net or try touch shots. Shots I generally really struggle with came so easily with the Phantom. My overall game is still better with the PD so I figured I'll only use the Phantom in matches I know I'll win. The league I play in is open-tiered. One day you can play against a guy that's 5.0 and a guy that 3.0 the day after.

Considering the Phantoms are so soft it never occurred to me that something like this could happen. Played about 2-3 matches during the demo period and was totally fine. Got the Phantom strung with X-perience 17L (20-18 kg) earlier today, same string that was on the Phantom 100 I had for the demo. Lots of people here on the forum swear by that string, we'll see how it goes...

It happened to me one year ago. I already explained this in another thread but briefly : played with the same racket for 19 (!) years. Wanted to switch for something a bit lighter and stiffer, to make it "easier". Same strings and tension though. It destroyed my elbow and, after one year, I haven't fully recovered yet. One year lost and barely no tennis

I'm sorry this happened to you, but I appreciate you sharing the story. Actually noticed something similar the other day. Switched from the Phantom to the PD mid-match and noticed the elbow suffering pretty much instantly. I'll definitely be more careful going forward.

 

[NicoMK]

What have you been doing to fix it? Tennis elbow should never take a year to recover.

Actually, that is not a tennis elbow. That was sharp pain in the elbow, but not the "usual tennis" elbow. I had to wait for 5 months before even picking-up the racket again but only for 45 minutes and no serve. It was painful but I could hit some balls at last.

Then I thought that I would heal completely with some proper rest and -- almost -- no tennis but it didn't happen. Now I can hit som balls with barely no pain and I can hit some sloooooow serves, ridiculously weak especially as my serve is not my biggest weapon . That means no competition and I can't even play three sets with pals .

That may be too late but I recently decided to have some physiotherapy to fully recover… hopefully.

All this because I wanted to switch rackets. No big deal but a waste of time and some frustration as well.

There are some players who can play with all sorts of different rackets and strings but obviously I can't .

 

[NicoMK]

Actually noticed something similar the other day. Switched from the Phantom to the PD mid-match and noticed the elbow suffering pretty much instantly. I'll definitely be more careful going forward.

I can only talk from my now experience but I wouldn't insist too much if I were you. Full rest is the key (what I wasn't able to do at first and I should have).

The Phantom has a very low RA and the PD are pretty stiff. That was exactly what caused me pain, switching from a soft racket to a much stiffer. The only difference is that you played with the PD for some years so you should have got used to it. Weird. Anyway, playing with heavier and softer rackets and strings will always be better for your arm, especially as we are -- all -- aging.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[ewiewp]

In my case, I always have minor pains here and there when I switch frame. They usually go away after certain time. I guess my body adjusting?

 

[hurworld]

I use slightly weighted up APD2013 (replaced base grip, yonex supergrap, 6g blutack under buttcap, 2g at 12) and stock Phantom 93P with just 1 x overgrip. I try not to switch during the match, start with one racquet per session and stick with it for the rest of the session.

 

[mhkeuns]

I also had elbow problems from switching rackets. It would have been fine, I think, had I played with similarly spec’d frames. I just mixed all different types of frames that were popular (*tweeners, players frames, longer length, Spin Effect, and etc.). and my game deteriorated from compensating on my strokes, as well as hurting my arm from mishitting or being late on shots.

It’s really a difficult habit to break. I thought I settled on the Ultra Tour until I had a bad game, and my holism started back. I should be the blame for the bad game, but it’s so easy to blame the equipment. Luckily, I found the Prince Phantom 93P that is satisfying all my needs, so far. Crossing my fingers.

 

[Rabbit]

The short answer is yes, switching gear (especially on a regular basis like you're doing) can hurt your arm. This is more and more possible as you get older. And yes, you are getting older.

My question back to you is how in the hell did you not hurt your arm playing with a PD and full poly!

 

[fuzz nation]

I've been playing with a Pure Drive 2015 strung with a full bed of poly for years and never had any issues. Recently, I started experimenting with racquets and tend to play each match with a different one. Match frequency is about 4 times a week. Currently at the best shape of my whole life (31 years old).

My other racquet is a Phantom Pro 100, probably the softest racquet on sale at the moment. I play easy matches with the Phantom and competitive matches with the Pure Drive. After the last match (with the Phantom) I noticed the elbow hurting. I doubt it's the actual racquet considering it's so flexy so I'm wondering whether it's the simple act of switching racquets and playing each match with a different one?

The Phantom does require me to swing faster and harder than I'm used to in order to create a good shot. The power difference between the two racquets is truly huge. Also, the weight is a bit different as well. The Pure Drive is about 7-10 grams heavier and has a slightly different balance (more head light).

As for the string, both of them are strung with Solinco Revolution 18. PD is at 23/22 kg and Phantom is at 21/20 kg.

Anyway, is my logic solid? Could switching between normal PD swings and fast Phantom swings be messing with my elbow?

Racquet switching can be very rough on the arm. If you think about it, it's much easier to rack up many more mis-hits when switching from a familiar racquet to another that has different specs - especially different weight and balance. Even if maybe a demo frame or just some different racquet you have at home is slightly lighter than your regular player, it can also be slower and more sluggish if it has less head-light balance than what you enjoy. That can make you late to contact with that racquet, which can be especially rough on the elbow.

I keep two different racquet models in my bag, but it's pretty easy for me to switch off between them for two reasons. The grip shapes are very similar - they're both from Volkl - and although their static weights are just slightly different, these two models of mine are tuned into a very similar balance. They have both a swing behavior and handling personality around the net that are pretty much the same for me.

I have other racquets in my collection that are fun to dust off here and there, but those detours with my equipment are often a little tough on my arm- those frames are just different enough that I'll mis-time and mis-hit with them more often.

Also keep in mind that the arm-friendliness of a more flexible racquet can be potentially nullified when that frame is strung with a stiffer string. A Phantom can be rough on an arm if it's strung with a firm bed of poly. But a stiffer racquet like a Pure Drive can be quite easy on an arm if it's strung with natural gut. If you want to go easier on your elbow, try some softer strings. Plain old synthetic gut can sometimes offer a softer alternative to poly if you don't want to go all the way over to a multifiber.

 

[Mr_Zorg]

My question back to you is how in the hell did you not hurt your arm playing with a PD and full poly!

Short answer is... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The people at the club I play at don't use anything but polys. I learned about other types of string only after joining this forum. So far I've tried 10 different kinds of strings, all of them polys. Excluding the people with a really sensitive elbow, I think a relatively comfortable poly in a relatively soft racket will work just fine. I spent the longest time playing with Signum Pro Firestorm in my PD. That's probably on of the most comfortable polys you can get. I also tend to string the racket at low tensions (for more power) which probably also helped curb tennis elbow issues.

As for the Phantom vs PD... I got the Phantom restrung with X-perience 17L at 20/18 kg. It's a much, much more playable racket now. I also bumped the weight and balance to match the PD. They are now both at 332 grams and 6pt HL. Even though they are the same weight and balance now, the Phantom feels so much more maneuverable. You sort-of expect it because of the thin beam and all, but the difference in so profound I was still kinda amazed.

 

[Crocodile]

I've been playing with a Pure Drive 2015 strung with a full bed of poly for years and never had any issues. Recently, I started experimenting with racquets and tend to play each match with a different one. Match frequency is about 4 times a week. Currently at the best shape of my whole life (31 years old).

My other racquet is a Phantom Pro 100, probably the softest racquet on sale at the moment. I play easy matches with the Phantom and competitive matches with the Pure Drive. After the last match (with the Phantom) I noticed the elbow hurting. I doubt it's the actual racquet considering it's so flexy so I'm wondering whether it's the simple act of switching racquets and playing each match with a different one?

The Phantom does require me to swing faster and harder than I'm used to in order to create a good shot. The power difference between the two racquets is truly huge. Also, the weight is a bit different as well. The Pure Drive is about 7-10 grams heavier and has a slightly different balance (more head light).

As for the string, both of them are strung with Solinco Revolution 18. PD is at 23/22 kg and Phantom is at 21/20 kg.

Anyway, is my logic solid? Could switching between normal PD swings and fast Phantom swings be messing with my elbow?

It could be, but I would say that it's the pro longed use of the PD with Solinco that got your elbow into the state that it is.

 

[Mr_Zorg]

Quick update on my racquet woes...

I gave up on the Phantom, ended up playing the last few matches with the Pure Drive. The elbow pain went away pretty much immediately after I stoped switching and returned to the PD.

The Phantom was simply too low powered for my game. The racquet feels and looks cool, but it was just too much of a struggle. Decided I need a much more powerful stick so I got a Prince Beast 100. Only played one match so far with it, but I absolutely love it. It's basically a better, softer Pure Drive.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Quick update on my racquet woes...

I gave up on the Phantom, ended up playing the last few matches with the Pure Drive. The elbow pain went away pretty much immediately after I stoped switching and returned to the PD.

The Phantom was simply too low powered for my game. The racquet feels and looks cool, but it was just too much of a struggle. Decided I need a much more powerful stick so I got a Prince Beast 100. Only played one match so far with it, but I absolutely love it. It's basically a better, softer Pure Drive.

Welcome to being the exception that proves the rule. The one and only Phantom user that found it an uncomfortable frame lol. Just goes to show there are no absolutes when it comes to health.

 

[marsh]

I've been playing with a Pure Drive 2015 strung with a full bed of poly for years and never had any issues. Recently, I started experimenting with racquets and tend to play each match with a different one. Match frequency is about 4 times a week. Currently at the best shape of my whole life (31 years old).

My other racquet is a Phantom Pro 100, probably the softest racquet on sale at the moment. I play easy matches with the Phantom and competitive matches with the Pure Drive. After the last match (with the Phantom) I noticed the elbow hurting. I doubt it's the actual racquet considering it's so flexy so I'm wondering whether it's the simple act of switching racquets and playing each match with a different one?

The Phantom does require me to swing faster and harder than I'm used to in order to create a good shot. The power difference between the two racquets is truly huge. Also, the weight is a bit different as well. The Pure Drive is about 7-10 grams heavier and has a slightly different balance (more head light).

As for the string, both of them are strung with Solinco Revolution 18. PD is at 23/22 kg and Phantom is at 21/20 kg.

Anyway, is my logic solid? Could switching between normal PD swings and fast Phantom swings be messing with my elbow?

The faster/ harder swing is probably causing you to grip much harder which is what is causing your elbow pain. Swing harder or faster, just try not to change your grip pressure.

 

[rafa_prestige89]

Yes, specially if you change to a Babolat.

 

[graycrait]

Yes, specially if you change to a Babolat.

Some years ago I picked up a Pure Drive Roddick+ I think they called it. At the time, with over 50 yrs of questionable tennis I had never had TE until playing with that racket. At some point I may have even left that racket on the court and just walked away, can't remember about that one. Recovered, started group and private lessons, etc. Then one day I wanted a "big boy" 18x20 so got a Blade 98. TE again just after one hitting session with an extremely hard hitting 20 something dude. All healed up nicely now and have never had TE from playing Prince graphite rackets. In fact I call the POG 107s my "therapy" rackets, although I normally play with a variety of Prince 93s from the 1980s, primarily strung with Ashaway Kevlar mains x Ashaway Zyex Pro crosses at 65/55. Even my "therapy" Princes get that same stringbed. If I feel anything wrong with my wrist, elbow, shoulder I switch to the POG 107s for a week or two and play through it, then all is well - kind of miraculous, for me at least. Why would I need to use a POG 107 therapy stick? I still like to experiment with non-Prince graphite rackets from time to time.

 

[Dartagnan64]

My therapy racket is the Prince Phantom 100. I have a POG 107 but it’s a little beefy to be my therapy stick. I need the therapy stick because sometimes I fool around with poly strings.

 

[RayPS97]

I've been playing with a Pure Drive 2015 strung with a full bed of poly for years and never had any issues. Recently, I started experimenting with racquets and tend to play each match with a different one...
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Anyway, is my logic solid? Could switching between normal PD swings and fast Phantom swings be messing with my elbow?

I bought a factory strung Yonex. Had it restrung with Head Velocity and loved it so much that a second factory strung Yonex racquet. I spent an hour hitting switching back and forth between the two rackets when I suddenly felt something tighten up on the back of my leading up to the knuckle finger of my index finger. I've played on my high school tennis team in 1978 and have never had arm, elbow or wrist issues but am getting long in the tooth. Now when I am evaluating rackets to each other, I move up to the net and hit min-tennis (i.e. within the service lines) for a bit to adapt to the racket before stepping back to wallop the yellow thing. I also tend to minimize the back and forth switching by just getting a longer sample with each. I also found that those tendon/scraping posts here on this board really seem to nip theses sorts of pulls, afterwards, and speed healing. It also helps to go over your entire arm (wrist, elbow, and shoulder) after a match with your free wrist to see if there are any tender spots that you may not notice doing every day activites. I have less of these sorts of aches since upgrading my stretching routines before tennis to strengthen those areas.

 

[JustTennis76]

I definitely agree switching rackets leads to unwanted arm discomfort. I tried 4 or 5 rackets this off season and it messed up my elbow. So, I went back to my Youtek prestige mid that I have been playing for last 5 years.