BY SCOTT PENSIVY, PT, LAT, ATC
OWNER S.P.O.R.T.S. (Scott Pensivy Orthopedic Rehabilitation Therapy Services)
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Many tennis athletes have a shoulder syndrome that is created by muscle imbalances. Over the years, tennis elbow has made its way into medical terminology; a layperson knows it and in the medical field it is called lateral epicondylitis. Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, is the inflammation of a tendon secondary to overuse, poor mechanics, or trauma to this area. Few of us have heard of tennis shoulder, a term I have named while assessing many athletes including national and mature-ranked players. This term comes from an observation I have made in these professions; this pathology is not only elbow pathology, but more importantly a shoulder complex pathology. The term is not a misnomer. Having worked with these gifted athletes, I have discovered consistent patterns across the board regardless of gender. I have seen significant overtrained shoulders of internal rotators and pectoralis muscles, along with biceps, of the dominant arm of a tennis player, thus demonstrating undertrained muscles of the right arm. Specifically, external rotators and rotator cuff muscles. I see this often with my young players and old players alike. This condition increases the imbalances as a person increases his or her activity.
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