💬 Discussion 💬
Backhands causing bicep pain?
Hey all. I'm a lefty who plays on the right (obviously). Very often when I am returning serves with the backhand, especially off the glass, I feel a slight twinge in my bicep. After the match and for several days my bicep is a little bit sore. If I try to lift a weight straight up, the pain is pronounced.
I imagine it has something to do with how I'm holding my arm/racket, and how loose or stiff I may be when making repeated contact with the ball?
Any advice? Thanks!
Comments (9)
u/HairyCallahan2w ago
Hmm. I'm not a physician, but that doesn't sound like you can fix in by changing your grip. Sounds more like a minor muscle tear/damage. I'd see a physician. In the meantime I'd avoid lifting weights btw.
6
u/ExcellentAsk23092w ago
Same same same
Tennis elbow
But flex grip
Use the right hand as well upon impact and then release
I learnt that trick in Spain
Have both arms on racket
Then pull your right arm back
2
u/Existing_Daikon_6222w ago
This happened to me, you are depending too much on you elbow for shock absorption instead of your back.
You should try and make the force come from your back instead of your elbow, and you are probably taking those shoots way back so that doesn’t let you. Amortiguate it with you back muscles, try and take them in a more forward way.
This is all kinda guessing, since we i don’t know your technique. Its just the most probable thing happening
1
Hrm interesting. I do think I swing mostly with my arm on these shots and don't engage my body/legs as much as I would with a normal forehand or even a normal off-the-glass backhand. I'm playing tomorrow and I will try and pay more attention to what I'm doing. Thank you.
1
u/ironShing2w ago
Yes overload injury. You need physiotherapy.
1
Any idea what could be causing that kind of injury though?
2
u/bkmz11w ago
I'd guess this is less about the bicep muscle itself and more about where it connects. Bicep actually runs all the way up into the shoulder and attaches inside the shoulder joint.
When you're loading the arm in stretched backhand position off the glass, you're pulling on that tendon from the bottom. The pain shows up in the arm, but the irritated spot is up at the shoulder end.
Also, probably arm is too stiff during the hit, so all the load ends up irritating tendon ends is more pronounced.
To fix: go do doctors, offload padel and fix injury, go to gym and improve shoulder/bicep chain, ask padel coach to check and improve technique.
1