Chiropractor, stretching and/or yoga?

[jcgatennismom]

My 17 y/o son asked to go to the chiropractor due to some lower bad pain. He played in a tournament last weekend, saw the trainer after a 3 set match, and then continued to play 4 more matches, winning 3 of them. Of course the chiropractor recommends coming in 2-3x a week for adjustments but son is very busy-looking for home exercise options. I think a couple weeks of adjustments could help, but stretching and yoga might help loosen tight muscles too. My son has also grown a lot in height over the last 18 months-6+ inches so he probably suffers some aches and strains just from that; the chiropractor said his growth plates were wide open, and he probably has two more years of growth. He is currently 6 ft tall.

What are suggestions for players with some minor to occasionally moderate pain besides taking a break? Son would not take a day off drills after tournament but did sit out a varsity match against an easy team. At least he does not have another USTA tournament for 10 days and only one in March, but will have a couple varsity matches and drills each week. He went to a different chiropractor 2 years ago for hip pain for 2 months and then was fine. He has conditioning at his academy but it is probably more weight lifting and running and probably only 5-10 min of stretches. He is taking the required personal fitness course in high school which means the coaches let him play bball for an hour; I told him he should use part of that time for stretching but he is not sure about doing that in front of the other guys.

Also as a typical tennis player, his shoulders are not balanced (per chiropractor) since he serves with right arm. What exercises should players do to put shoulders more in balance?

If there are past relevant posts,just direct me to them. Thanks so much.

 

[BMC9670]

Silly music aside, here is Roger doing some exercises at Indian Wells aimed at his back issues that were well documented at the time.

 

[BMC9670]

Here are more... some the same that Roger is doing...

 

[BMC9670]

For shoulders, search "Throwers 10". I do these to keep shoulder balanced, flexible, and strong 5 years after shoulder surgery. Common with baseball, volleyball, and tennis players.

 

[Bobby Jr]

I had lower back pain for years and found a couple of daily routines helped wonders - to the point I rarely get any anymore.

When your back is sore go for a walk. Walking is great for lower back pain as it helps release tightness around the spine/hips.

The two exercises I do for prevention are these - they have never not worked and I do daily whether playing sport or not. Just 15-30 seconds each way twice.

The side bend stretch of the Quadratus Lumborum. This alleviates lower back pain from arching/twisting sports like tennis, or sitting at a desk with poor posture (or even a non-ideal bed) > http://www.yogajournal.com/article/teach/side-stretch-satisfaction/

The other one is the lying lower back twist. There are a few variants of it but this will give you the idea.

 

[shindemac]

Look at the stretches shown above. I've encountered all of them through yoga, so i do recommend taking yoga classes to learn the correct form. The instructor will help you get the most stretch out of each one, and prevent any injuries (like to wrists, shoulders, knees). In a class, there's also lots of other stretches and variations not shown. If something is too hard or too easy, a teacher can easily recommend a different version.

 

[jcgatennismom]

Thanks all for the exercise/stretching tips. Son is taking a break from tennis until he sees chiro again, but it is continuing with already scheduled trip to snowboard this weekend.

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

I'd be tempted to stick with the chiro for a bit longer in addition to the various stretches and exercise suggested in this thread. At some point you might want to consider consulting with a PT (physio) to determine the exercises, stretches and other techniques that would be suit his needs. Might also incorporate foam rolling and yoga somewhere down the line if you've not already done so.

 

[BMC9670]

On this front in the USA things seem crazy. I go see my sport physio pay him £20 for 45mins. He assesses takes some photos before and after he does some work to show me what I can do in like 30mins. Takes me out to the gym gives me the strengthening and stretching stuff and says if do xyz for 8 weeks. Never usually have to make a return journey.

You guys have people hard selling for you to do 3hrs a week with them it's mental!

But yeah as a general rule get him to commit to some stretching and strengthening. See a professional. Just cause he's hurting his low back doesn't mean he's got a tight lower back. I was pulling errector spinae in my back over and over because my shoulders are tight so I was putting extra force thru my back. Which granted was also tight but by the primary problem

Welcome to the high priced world of US healthcare! After my shoulder surgery 5 years ago, insurance would only cover 2x per week for 6 weeks of PT. Doctor wanted me in PT for 6 months, which mean I would have to pay for the rest myself at $100/session. No thanks. I learned the protocols during the first 6 weeks and did the rest on my own. My check-ups with the doctor were all on track. There is a lot you can do on your own if you educate yourself and check in with the doctor once in w while.

 

[snvplayer]

Welcome to the high priced world of US healthcare! After my shoulder surgery 5 years ago, insurance would only cover 2x per week for 6 weeks of PT. Doctor wanted me in PT for 6 months, which mean I would have to pay for the rest myself at $100/session. No thanks. I learned the protocols during the first 6 weeks and did the rest on my own. My check-ups with the doctor were all on track. There is a lot you can do on your own if you educate yourself and check in with the doctor once in w while.

Smart move. Plus, many physical therapists, athletic trainers, and chiropractors post exercise videos with detailed instructions and demonstration on Youtube.

 

[snvplayer]

My 17 y/o son asked to go to the chiropractor due to some lower bad pain. He played in a tournament last weekend, saw the trainer after a 3 set match, and then continued to play 4 more matches, winning 3 of them. Of course the chiropractor recommends coming in 2-3x a week for adjustments but son is very busy-looking for home exercise options. I think a couple weeks of adjustments could help, but stretching and yoga might help loosen tight muscles too. My son has also grown a lot in height over the last 18 months-6+ inches so he probably suffers some aches and strains just from that; the chiropractor said his growth plates were wide open, and he probably has two more years of growth. He is currently 6 ft tall.

What are suggestions for players with some minor to occasionally moderate pain besides taking a break? Son would not take a day off drills after tournament but did sit out a varsity match against an easy team. At least he does not have another USTA tournament for 10 days and only one in March, but will have a couple varsity matches and drills each week. He went to a different chiropractor 2 years ago for hip pain for 2 months and then was fine. He has conditioning at his academy but it is probably more weight lifting and running and probably only 5-10 min of stretches. He is taking the required personal fitness course in high school which means the coaches let him play bball for an hour; I told him he should use part of that time for stretching but he is not sure about doing that in front of the other guys.

Also as a typical tennis player, his shoulders are not balanced (per chiropractor) since he serves with right arm. What exercises should players do to put shoulders more in balance?

If there are past relevant posts,just direct me to them. Thanks so much.

I am not a healthcare professional, but from what I have read and watched, any scapula stabilization exercise (rotator Cuff, Serratus Anterior, Lower / Mid / Upper Trapezius, Rhomboid) would be beneficial. There are a bunch of videos on Youtube, some are even targeted for tennis players.

 

[sovertennis]

Agree with SA in post #8. My long experience with HS and college aged athletes says that they are, in general, very inefficient at "stretching" (in quotes because it's such a generic and ambiguous topic). I'd suggest a menu of range-of-motion exercises combined with foam rolling (get the knobby one), after consulting with a PT. I've no quibble with chiros, having had many such visits over the years, but believe a PT will offer better advise.

Above all, this sort of exercise must become part of his routine, not something he does a few times then abandons it.