Stress reaction of the humerus in tennis players

Background:Overuse injuries are a frequent occurrence among competitive athletes. When analysing the incidence of overuse injuries in tennis players, it has been determined that a significant number of these injures occur in the upper limb area. In this study, we describe five cases of a stress-indu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of sports medicine 2007-11, Vol.41 (11), p.824-826
Main Authors: Silva, Rogerio Teixeira, Hartmann, Luis Guilherme, de Souza Laurino, Cristiano Frota
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Analgesia
Athletic Injuries - etiology
Athletic Injuries - prevention & control
Athletic Injuries - therapy
Bones
Case Report
Competitive Behavior
Cumulative Trauma Disorders - etiology
Cumulative Trauma Disorders - prevention & control
Cumulative Trauma Disorders - therapy
Edema
Elbow
Exercise Therapy - methods
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Fractures
Humans
Humerus - injuries
Humerus - physiopathology
Injuries
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Pain
Pain - etiology
Physical therapy
Recovery of Function
Shoulder
Sports injuries
Sports medicine
Stroke
Tennis
Tennis - injuries
Treatment Outcome
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Summary:Background:Overuse injuries are a frequent occurrence among competitive athletes. When analysing the incidence of overuse injuries in tennis players, it has been determined that a significant number of these injures occur in the upper limb area. In this study, we describe five cases of a stress-induced injury to the middle and distal humerus occurring mainly due to repetitive serving.Methods:Athletes studied were competitive tennis players and elite junior players, two of whom played at international level. Four of the five were male. In all cases, diagnosis was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging examination. The treatment of middle and distal humeral stress reactions consisted of physical therapy, which focused on analgesia and muscle strengthening. In addition, we analysed each tennis player’s strokes in order to identify modifications that would decrease the amount of stress that the upper limbs were subjected to during the service motion.Results:The players in our study missed on average 3 weeks of play and at follow-up after 1 year were able to play symptom free.Conclusions:Our study highlights the need for coaches, physicians and players to be aware of distal humeral pain and understand treatment options in order to prevent further injury, including stress fractures.
ISSN:0306-3674
1473-0480
DOI:10.1136/bjsm.2006.034942