Keeping in Tennis Shape With a Stress Fracture?

[tennisismylife9]

I'm a 16 year old girl and have just been diagnosed with a tibial stress fracture. I am absolutely devastated, I can barely walk, let alone play any tennis. I know running is out of the question, but is there anything I can do to keep myself in tennis shape before the spring tennis season? I want to be able to keep up my same level of playing and keep up my footwork. Are there any exercises that I can do that won't make my leg any worse? Also, is there anything that might make my leg heal faster, I'm in an aircast, but i was wondering if there was anything else that might make my leg heal faster. Thanks so much!

 

[Chas Tennis]

Dr only for that question

Don't take advice from the forum on a tricky issue like that.

With any crack the forces on the bones can be concentrated at the crack. The crack can continue to propagate farther until it finally breaks the bone completely. Talk to your Dr and see how long it takes to heal.

In the mean time study some subjects in tennis that might help your game.

 

[fuzz nation]

On a happy note, you've got a GREAT excuse to put that foot up, kick back, and watch lots of Aus. Open coverage!!! Hey, if nothing else, it's good for your tennis brain... works for me anyway.

Very wise input from our pal Chas. Heed the advice of the health care professionals who are familiar with your case. Nobody here knows what's going on with your injury like they do.

That means that you need to grab the phone and ask for some guidance. Maybe you can get in a pool and do some cardio work once it's safe for you to hobble around. You might eventually also get the green light to do a little lifting where you're sitting down. Gotta keep those rotator cuffs strong to keep them healthy. You could also perhaps ask about the possibility of riding a bicycle at some point, but NOT until you get the go ahead from the Dr.

If you can stand it, one of the best tennis books I'm sure I'll ever read is Mental Tennis by Vic Braden. It's full of stuff I wish I knew when I was your age, but he's also a pretty funny story teller. Check that one out if you need some form of tennis in your day.

Occasionally I see or hear about some ding-dong who tried to rush their return from an injury only to compound their problem and earn an even longer layup/recovery. Be cool. Don't be a ding-dong.

 

[goober]

I don't see why you can't do any exercise that does not put weight on your legs- swimming, upper body weight lifting, abdominal work outs.

 

[Pacific lefty]

How about working on upper body strength and flexibility?

 

[tennisismylife9]

Thanks for the input guys! I'm definitely gonna be watching a lot of the Aussie open while I'm resting, but I'm also going to try and improve my upper body strength. Thanks again

 

[benjamins_80]

Swimming is recommended as a way to stay in shape. Another option is the arm bike machine. You can get up a good sweat this way and it will also keep your shoulders strong for when you can play again.

 

[TennisMaverick]

I'm a 16 year old girl and have just been diagnosed with a tibial stress fracture. I am absolutely devastated, I can barely walk, let alone play any tennis. I know running is out of the question, but is there anything I can do to keep myself in tennis shape before the spring tennis season? I want to be able to keep up my same level of playing and keep up my footwork. Are there any exercises that I can do that won't make my leg any worse? Also, is there anything that might make my leg heal faster, I'm in an aircast, but i was wondering if there was anything else that might make my leg heal faster. Thanks so much!

Whatever your specialist says...DO! Do not mess with stress fractures....PERIOD. Modalities which are known to aid with speeding recovery for bones are considered alternative in the USA, and not easy to find doctors to help. But they are out there, and they work. Forget about the spring tennis season; no college coach cares about high school tennis unless it's DIII and a few Ivie's, and that is secondary to your USTA ranking. You can ride the pine this season and support your team. That will buy you a lot of good will with the coach--someone has to fill-out the line-up, exchange it with the opposing team coach, and fill-in the scores. Do not rush the recovery. 1 year from now, if not less, you will not even remember the time-off. If you rush it and screw-up, you'll remember your mistake for the rest of your life and will be telling your own kids about your mistake.