Elbow getting very sore.... would a lighter racket help?

[dnelsen]

I'm an offensive two-wing looper. Lots of big forehand swings. I'm quite tall at 6'4", which means long arms and high racket speed. I'm 195 lbs, so quite slender. Not very muscular but in good shape.

Lately my elbow is getting very sore, particularly after sessions over an hour. Whatever the small strip of muscle is on the forearm closest to the elbow. When it's sore, if I bump it against anything it's total agony. Literally howling in pain.

My racket is 177 grams, pretty light I suppose. Would going even lighter help me here?

Its an 85 gram OSP Virtuoso AC with Fastarc C1 forehand and Nittaku Factive backhand, and I'm madly in love with it. If I try a lighter setup it would need to perform similarly, which is probably a contradiction.

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[SleepyMaster]

Give it some time to rest. Maybe take some anti inflammatory medication for a few days. It will help with pain and will make your recovery quicker

 

[Amayzde]

 

[plunder]

"It sounds like the elbow issue is really affecting your game, and that pain when you bump it is a serious concern. It could be related to the strain caused by the racket's weight, especially with the high racket speed you generate on those forehand swings. While lighter rackets can help reduce strain, it's a bit of a balancing act because you don’t want to sacrifice the control or spin you love in your current setup.

Going lighter might help with reducing some of the shock, but there’s a risk that the performance won’t feel quite the same, as you mentioned. That said, there are a few other things you could consider:

1. Grip and technique adjustments: Sometimes the angle at which you're holding the racket, or certain motion patterns in your loop, can put more strain on the forearm and elbow. Are you able to tweak your grip or focus on optimizing your stroke mechanics? A coach could potentially help with this, as sometimes it’s less about the equipment and more about minimizing the stress on specific tendons.
2. Elbow support or therapy: If you haven’t already, maybe try using an elbow support or compression sleeve during play, especially for longer sessions. This can help take some pressure off the tendon. Also, physical therapy or specific stretches/exercises for the forearm tendons might help with recovery and prevent further injury.
3. Racket adjustments: Since you love the feel of your current racket, maybe a marginally lighter version could help without drastically altering your game. Some players experiment with reducing the thickness of the rubber or switching to a more flexible blade. This could absorb some of the shock without making the setup too different.

Have you been able to get any treatment or see a specialist about the elbow pain?"

— s;cnr 😇

 

[NetProphet]

I'm an offensive two-wing looper. Lots of big forehand swings. I'm quite tall at 6'4", which means long arms and high racket speed. I'm 195 lbs, so quite slender. Not very muscular but in good shape.

Lately my elbow is getting very sore, particularly after sessions over an hour. Whatever the small strip of muscle is on the forearm closest to the elbow. When it's sore, if I bump it against anything it's total agony. Literally howling in pain.

My racket is 177 grams, pretty light I suppose. Would going even lighter help me here?

Its an 85 gram OSP Virtuoso AC with Fastarc C1 forehand and Nittaku Factive backhand, and I'm madly in love with it. If I try a lighter setup it would need to perform similarly, which is probably a contradiction.

Thoughts? Thanks.

Sounds like the dreaded 'Tennis Elbow'.
If it is TE then changing racket won't help as 177 is already light.
Next time you train try to do a FH session only and see how you are after - I've read that BH side stokes, particularly if with poor form, are more of an issue. If it gets more serious then pips on BH perhaps? Only if FH side was actually less problematic for your elbow of course...

Using ice after sessions can help by relieving inflammation and anti inflammatory medications can sometimes help 'enough' if it's only mild but with age and/or more play it usually comes back.
I'd be going to see a Physiotherapist or Osteopath myself.
Good luck! 🤞

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Sounds like the dreaded 'Tennis Elbow'.

table tennis elbow

 

[Tyce]

If it's anything like mine (and it sounds similar) here's what changed the load on my elbow tremendously:
Use your legs and body much, much more! If all your speed needs to come from the arm, especially hard slaps, that is a lot of strain.
If you slap leading with your elbow going forward, this is probably what hurt me the most. I still get a little nag now and then but it's a reminder to use better technique.

 

[Jslick89]

1) your set up is already pretty light. mine is over 200g. my elbow is fine
2) i think you might have tennis elbow....theres a ton of videos on youtube on how to treat this at home. you need some treatment, some rest and then do start doing strengthening exercises.

Bob and Brad have a ton of great home treatment videos. but there are a ton more on youtube. once you start feeling better, make sure look up elbow strengthening exercises. building strength in weak areas is how you will prevent this nagging injuries from coming back.

 

[backspacer]

I would go to an orthopedist. Not that there aren't good tips here, but if you have persisting health issues in any way go to a doctor. I had pain in my playing hand a year ago, it got worse and spread throughout my entire arm a week later. They ended up using electricity to relax my muscles the day I went for a check-up followed by physio and now I do more stretching to prevent the issue.

 

[dnelsen]

Great stuff everyone, thank you!!!

I have a session with my coach this weekend, we will work on techniques for avoiding the pain

 

[pingpongpaddy]

HI NELSEN
I Had the elbow badly in my 20's due to holding racket too tight - bad technique. Learned to relax arm from shoulder to fingers and make power with my legs. Big thanks to coach who advised me. Now problem free for 30 years. I would have had to stop completely if I didn't get right advice.
one little test that can help is to try fh topspin with all five fingers flat on the blade swing with relaxed arm- so that its impossible to grip tightly. It really is a revelation how much loose grip improves power and touch while eliminating tension.
Remember that there are few if any muscles in the hand. The muscles for your grip are located in your forearm.
If you get some physio advice that can be useful too.
good luck

 

[dnelsen]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a very light OFF rated blade?

I would probably want inner carbon, given how great the Virtuoso AC has been. The way it crackles on a solid hit is magic. Like stepping on a saltine cracker. The sound alone is so addictive.

Still has tons of feel, honestly not far behind my Virtuoso OFF-. With C1 on forehand it’s a spinny loop monster

Should I try… BALSA?!?!?!… is it really that bad?

Oh the horror!

The tibhar balsa 75 seems nice. 2 carbon layers, 75 grams.

 

[dnelsen]

What about “playing thru it”… today I played for about 30 minutes, not too hard, and tried to focus on keeping my swing compact.

Still a bit sore but I didn’t make it any worse.

Is it better to really let it stop hurting before playing? I’m super hooked right now can’t help myself

 

[Tyce]

Don't play through the pain, play in such a way that you don't have it. If that means two weeks of BH training, you come out of it with a better BH, win

 

[olive-nguyen]

The best thing to do is to rest for awhile and take anti inflammatory medication. Don't do what I did where I continued playing a lot even after my knees were very sore and starting to be painful. It left my right knee very sore and had a "tick" "tack" sound evrytime you stretch out orpull in your leg on the knee. Happened a month ago but still having it.

 

[blahness]

Agreed with the recommendations to rest.

I wouldnt say that weight is the main factor. Head heavy blades are the worst - you might want to look at blades with centre of gravity closer to the handle.

One thing is looking at your technique to use more body and less forearms.

The other possibility is to use a faster setup so that you can produce ball speed with less force (ie less impact on your body, you can hit more relaxed)

 

[riemsesy]

I experienced the same problem.
I bought an Sanwei Feather carbon and glued AK47 blue on it.. both sides. 150-ish grams. and reduced the time of playing/training sessions,
I visited a physiotherapist who treated the elbow, dry needling therapy. needed 3 visits.
I took daily warm / cold 'baths' for my elbow. Two buckets with water, hot and cold.. it will increase blood flow
I used anti-inflamatory gel (Ibuprofen)
still took a few months until the inflammation was completely healed..

 

[rbtitco]

I'm an offensive two-wing looper. Lots of big forehand swings. I'm quite tall at 6'4", which means long arms and high racket speed. I'm 195 lbs, so quite slender. Not very muscular but in good shape.

Lately my elbow is getting very sore, particularly after sessions over an hour. Whatever the small strip of muscle is on the forearm closest to the elbow. When it's sore, if I bump it against anything it's total agony. Literally howling in pain.

My racket is 177 grams, pretty light I suppose. Would going even lighter help me here?

Its an 85 gram OSP Virtuoso AC with Fastarc C1 forehand and Nittaku Factive backhand, and I'm madly in love with it. If I try a lighter setup it would need to perform similarly, which is probably a contradiction.

Thoughts? Thanks.

I use DMSO on muscles that don't want to get better. It's worked really well for me, but u need to wash the area with distilled water. A trainer told me they use it on really stubborn muscle injuries

 

[latej]

This is a bit of a side angle - you may consider fasting, if you are interested in longer term health... Get some info about it's benefits... Granted, not very popular nowadays I assume... or not yet ;-)

 

[Tyce]

So yesterday I played very tense against unpredictable opponents. As soon as I made one slap, my arm started to hurt.
I did play a (head)heavier bat, but I think it's more important that my body wasn't able to anticipate the shots and take strain off my arm. I've had my arm hurt with any other bat, light and heavy.