Is It Normal to Feel Shoulder Pain After Racquetball?

Racquetball involves very intense exercises so if you are unprepared; your body may suffer multiple muscle injuries. These issues could result from having an oversized racquet that does not fit your hand or is too heavy for you. Possibly this is the cause of your arm pain, but is it normal to experience shoulder pain after playing racquetball?

It is normal to feel shoulder pain after a racquetball match. The pain results from repetitive use of wrong swing techniques that affect the soft tissues on the shoulder. These include the ligaments, tendons, and other muscles around the shoulder. 

Despite the fun of this game, you may experience some unavoidable injuries. Read ahead to know more about the possible injuries you can get and how you can prevent them.

What Type of Injury Is Common In Racquetball?

The common injury in racquetball is an ankle sprain or a muscle strain. In most cases, it affects the upper body. However, depending on your posture before the injury, it can also affect the ankles. It is also most common around the elbows, an effect known as Lateral Epicondylitis.

There are several injuries that you may not be able to escape in a racquetball game unless you are extra careful. Too much caution could also limit your chances of winning, as these opportunities are exactly what your opponent is looking for to attack you harder. Although you can get injured playing racquetball, there are a few steps you can take to stay safe without giving your opponents an advantage.

However, if you are a beginner, such injury reports should not worry you. Here is how most of these injuries do happen.

• The activities in ongoing racquetball gameplay involve frequent and rapid running and jumping to meet the ball. These can be so random that a player may risk getting ankle sprains from the sudden rapid turns. 
• There is also a probability of getting hit by a hardball bouncing off the walls. So the injury here will depend on where the ball will hit you. That is why it is advisable to have goggles on during a match because the most serious injury that you can get from these balls is getting hit on your eye.
• Among the necessary equipment for a racquetball match is a pair of gloves. However, most people often assume their importance and play without them. But you ought to know they are so essential for holding a racquet since you may get sweaty and when hitting a ball the racquet flies off hitting your partner. You can also get hit by the racquet. And the intensity of your effort is what can determine the state of the injury.
• You might not escape knee and elbow injuries because of the repeated strains to reach a high ball. The injuries resulting from such strains might be more common if you keep using the wrong techniques in returning your balls.
• It is rare for people to slip and fall, but they can get hurt if they hit the wall or the floor once they have fallen. In either case, make sure you get checked up after any of these injuries before continuing the game.

What Are the Lifelong Benefits of Racquetball?

The benefits of playing racquetball include improved mental health, and improved strength and stamina. Other benefits include a better heart state, improved body coordination, and reduced fats in the body.

Racquetball is a full-body workout sport so whether you intend to practice for a match or just need to burn some fats in your body. This is the game you’ll want to keep playing. It has intense activities that not only engage your hands but almost every other muscle in your body.

Some of the benefits of playing racquetball are:

• Improves Mental State

Racquetball needs apt attention and coordination of several body parts for you to serve the ball and maintain being within your lane to take advantage of your competitor’s weakness. Hence, by aiming at the ball accurately through sudden maneuvers on the pitch, you get to train your brain into making quick and strategic decisions.

The game is somewhat addictive and a good distraction for people who have trouble stopping some awkward activities.

• Boosts Stamina

The quick pace involved in rallying in the game pushes the player into using the last bit of energy in their body to make sure they win the game. Through frequent play, the user will burn more fats and build healthier muscles. Since the players use every muscle in their bodies, their body strength and flexibility increase.

• Burns Excess Fats in the Body

The intense activities in the game reduce any fat build-up in the body. So it’s a general workout for you if you feel you have too much fat piled in your body. It is more like a double benefit for the player since you get to enjoy the game while burning fats in your body.

How Do You Prevent Injuries In a Racquetball Match?

To prevent injuries in a racquetball match, you have to make sure you have the right gear that includes racquetball shoes, goggles, and a pair of gloves. It is also good to make sure you use an appropriate and well-maintained racquet. It is also good to engage the appropriate techniques in the game.

If you sustain a severe injury during a match, you may not be able to continue playing. In turn, it affects your game or team, which could lead to someone else winning. It is because of this reason that most players choose to remain strong even after being injured.

Unless you pay attention to this, you will strain your body to breaking point, potentially resulting in paralysis. For instance, one of the most common injuries from racquetball matches is lateral epicondylitis. It occurs from overuse of the elbow muscles in the game, thus resulting in an inflamed and painful elbow. 

Beginners and new players often use the wrong racquets or swinging techniques repeatedly. So to prevent this effect you have to use a two-handed effort when hitting the ball. It helps in avoiding extensive flexion of your wrist. 

Although it’s a great workout, you need to be guided by someone who knows the game well so you know where to stiffen when you hit the ball, and, where not to do so. Most muscle problems arise from the upper body where wrong positioning of the shoulder and the neck could cause problems with the elbows or hips.