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Int J Sports Med 1989; 10(5): 368-371
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-1024930
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Epidemiology of Injuries in Danish Championship Tennis*

S. Winge, U. Jørgensen, A. Lassen Nielsen
  • Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rigshospitalet, Faculty of Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Danmark
* This study was supported by the Danish Tennis Federation.
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Publication Date:
14 March 2008 (online)

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Abstract

During the outdoor tennis season of 1984 a prospective injury registration was done in 104 randomly chosen elite tennis players, of whom 86% could be followed. We found 46 injuries: an incidence of 2.3 injuries/player/1000 tennis hours. Men were more frequently injured than women. The prevalence was 0.3 injury/player. Upper extremity injuries were most frequent - 45.7% (21/46). Shoulder injuries were the single most frequent injury - 17% (8/46).

The pathophysiology was overuse in 67% (28/42), strains in 14% (6/42), sprains in 17% (7/42), fractures in 2% (1/42), and blisters in 5% (2/42).

Players using conventional rackets had more injuries to the upper extremity compared with players using mid/oversized rackets, though the difference was nonsignificant.

The importance of impact forces from the tennis stroke in the mechanism of upper extremity injuries is discussed.

Key words

tennis - sports injuries - epidemiology - overuse injuries