Does Forehand Racquet Handgrip influence Incidence and Type of Wrist Injury in Tennis? A Preliminary Study in Indian Tennis

ABSTRACT Introduction Tennis is one of the major global sports, with over 75 million players participating in the game in more than 200 countries affiliated with the International Tennis Federation. The upper extremity is particularly susceptible to injury in tennis because of the use of the racquet, which acts as a lever, and due to the effect of repetitive stroke play on the dominant limb. Materials and methods Between July 2009 and October 2010, in a prospective study involving players at a local tennis academy, 219 tennis players were evaluated for wrist injury. A specialized injury proforma was filled up for these players and parameters, such as injury type, mechanism of injury, forehand racquet grip (eastern, western and semiwestern), missed time from game, and treatment (medical or surgical) were recorded. The players were grouped into low-intensity players (those with average daily practice hours < 2.5) and high-intensity players (with ≥ 2.5 daily average practice hours). Statistical analysis was performed to assess the association of different wrist injuries with type of forehand handgrip. Results Out of 219 players, 14 players were lost to follow-up. Out of the remaining 205 players, a total of 157 (76%) players were aware of the type of handgrip they were using, while 18 (9%) players did not have any knowledge of their handgrip. The remaining 30 (15%) players were found to be confused as far as handgrip was concerned. Out of 157 players who had knowledge regarding handgrip, 102 players were using the semiwestern grip, 44 were using the western grip, and the remaining 11 were using the eastern type of handgrip. There were seven injuries sustained in the wrist and hand. Due to the relatively small number of wrist injury cases, no statistical correlation could be derived between handgrip use and specific injuries in the upper limb. Conclusion In tennis players with wrist injuries, different grips of the racquet are not related to the anatomical site of the lesion. Previous studies have correlated the type of handgrip with the pattern of wrist injuries. Though we have 219 players in our study, the players who sustained wrist injuries were less (7). Thus, we were unable to find any correlation between type of handgrip and pattern of wrist injuries. Further studies are required so as to understand the biomechanics of tennis injuries. How to cite this article Prabhakar S, Dhillon MS, Meena DS, Dhillon H, Dhillon S. Does Forehand Racquet Handgrip influence Incidence and Type of Wrist Injury in Tennis? A Preliminary Study in Indian Tennis. J Postgrad Med Edu Res 2018;52(1):1-4.