Avoid 'Tennis Leg' and enjoy the tennis season!

Yes, 'tennis leg'! Most people are familiar with 'tennis elbow' but 'tennis leg' is a typical tennis injury that often occurs in players in the 35 to 50 age group.

'Tennis leg' is an incomplete rupture of the inside of the calf muscle. This muscle injury usually occurs as a result of a sudden contraction of the calf muscles. Symptoms are a sudden, sharp or burning pain in the leg, sometimes accompanied by an audible sound. In most cases, the player is unable to continue play.

Depending on the severity of the injury, recovery may take between a few days and six weeks. However, we recommend taking precautions to reduce your risk of injury or re-injury:

• Build up training in the new tennis season gradually
• Adapt clothing to the weather conditions and keep warm when exercising especially in cold winds
• Wear properly fitting tennis shoes with good shock absorption and sideways stability.
• Maintain strong calf muscles. Steps, cycling and running are ideal exercises for calves, but allow adequate rest in your training programme
• Even before a recreational game, allow a few moments doing warm up exercises, stretching and strengthening the calves.

Central Health has the ideal team to help you remain injury-free and enjoy the forthcoming season - whether you are an intermediate Club player or enjoy the thrills of playing competitively. With three ex-national junior tennis players, two of which have fully recognised LTA coaching qualifications, there is no one better to treat and rehabilitate you back to your favourite game! Look out for Gemma Newell, Claire Morrell and Carolyn Aldridge if you are keen for a few tips to improve your winning performance or need a training programme to get you in shape!

London Marathon

Congratulations to all those who completed the London Marathon! Including our very own Hannah Kokoschka.

GB Wheelchair Tennis

Carolyn Aldridge MCSP is back from Florida where she was the physiotherapist for the GB Wheelchair tennis squad. Players have been competing in the Florida Open and Pensacola Open. Both tournaments are of ITF1 status, just below the Grand Slams in terms of valuable world ranking points!

World No1 and Gold and Bronze medal Beijing Paralympian Peter Norfolk won his fifth Florida Open title, and he added the doubles title with Andrew Lapthorne.

As the only medical representative for GB, Carolyn has been busy preparing the athletes and keeping them injury free and at 100% throughout their hectic match play schedule. The intense heat was also an issue for the quadriplegics who cannot regulate their own body temperature, and so ensuring they were kept cool on court and avoiding major health effects was a massive challenge!

Well done Carolyn and Team GB!

Opening soon! New Central Health gym in the City

Located a few minutes away from our main Chancery Lane location in Charterhouse Street, the fully equipped gym will offer a combination of personal training, classes, including spin bikes, circuits and pumps as well as final stage rehabilitation for sport injuries.

Individual and corporate memberships will be available. Contact Natasha for details.

People Moves

A new friendly face at Chancery Lane, Stephanie Griffith joined in March this year, after completing 6 A levels including Biology, Chemistry, Geography and Physics. Stephanie enjoys cycling and participated in the 26 mile London bikeathon raising money for Leukaemia research. She also enjoys netball and tennis and has represented her club at National level.

We would like to welcome Alison Ottey and Diego Martin-Linares to the team at the St. John's Hospice, part of the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in St John's Wood; and Rosalind Walker at the Springdene Clinic.

Andy Reynolds MSc MCSP MAACP full time at Harlequins! We announced in the last issue that Andy was going to be busy helping Harlequins get silverware at home and in Europe - so much so that he is going to work full time with the team. We wish him (and Harlequins) well for the future.

In the News

Did you see Gemma's hands on TV? Gemma Newell BSc(Hons) MManipTher SRP - well her hands actually - made an appearance on Channel 4 programme Trophy Kids.

The programme is about 4 young athletes and their quest for stardom and reaching number one in the world. It followed a tennis player Eden Silva and then 2 young golfers and a boxer. The programme illustrates the huge role played by parents in a child's success, negatively and positively!

Gemma was involved whilst covering the British Junior Tennis Championships in Bournemouth where Eden Silva required treatment before her Under 12 final.

The programme states that her dad always seeks out the best coaches, trainers and the best physiotherapists for his daughter at which point we see Gemma's hands treating her calf! Only the best indeed!