P³ Chiropractic and Massage

Even though "ball" games can be traced back as far as the early Egyptians, tennis as we know it today, came into being in France. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries it became the highly fashionable sport of kings and noblemen and was referred to as "Jeu de paumme" - the game of the palm. Early French players began a game by shouting "tenez!" - "Play!" and the game soon became known as Royal, or Real Tennis.

Real tennis was actually very different than the game that millions of people love today. First off, it was played indoors, in large galleries with jutting roofs and points were won according to how the ball was played off of the gallery walls. Second, Real tennis used a system of chases. In today's game if a ball bounces twice it is dead. In Real Tennis however, a marker would mark the point of the second bounce and was known as the 'chase.' In addition to playing for points, opponents also competed by trying to place their chase as close as possible to their opponents back wall. A player who was behind on points could come from behind to win the match by being more skillful at the chase.

Following its initial rise in popularity with the French nobility, tennis spread throughout Europe, and becoming quite popular in England. As in France, the game became recognised as the sport of kings and Henry VIII being a very keen player himself, built a court at his palace in Hampton Court, which is still used today by Real Tennis enthusiasts. Tennis also spread to Spain, Italy, Holland, Switzerland and Germany. In the 18th century however, the game went into decline due to the French revolution and the Napoleonic wars, which virtually eliminated it across most of Europe.

Today, due to larger racket size, higher string tension and the lucrative tournament prizes as well as potential sponsorships, tennis has become a highly competitive sport with its fair share of injuries. Some of the muscles used in tennis and as such more prone to injuries are:

quadriceps hamstring gluteus muscles gastrocnemius soleus muscles

pectoralis major latissimus dorsi deltoid rotator cuff shoulder adductor

biceps triceps teres minor infraspinatus subscapularis

forearm flexors and extensor spinal erectors rectus abdominis internal and external obliques neck flexors and extensors

Strength training and flexibility exercises targeting all of the above muscles are essential for competitive/professional players and would benefit the casual player as well. Poor training/exercise could lead to injuries. Some of the more common injuries associated with tennis are:

Shoulder Tendonitis / Rotator Cuff Tendonitis

Shoulder Impingement Syndrome

Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)

Back Sprain / Strain

Jumper's Knee (Patellar Tendonitis)

Chondromalacia Patella

Achilles Tendonitis

Sprained Ankle

Tennis Toe (aka Skier's Toe, runner's Toe)