Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Sporting ASKickers Tennis and me

i love playing tennis!! my tennis comp starts tomorrow but it has been months since i played and i am really worried about how my body is going to cope. when i used to play i was on NSAIDS but have been taken off them as Dr's suspect i have either Crohns or some kind of colitis (being tested soon).

just wondering if anyone else does a high impact type of sport and what they do to minimise the pain, swelling etc.

i am mainly concerned about my knees as they are pretty bad.

Christine

PS: I really really really love to play

Made it through in one piece. very sore today but am thankful that for now i can still play. unfortunately we lost but there's always next week.

i know that tennis is probably not the best sport to be playing but anyway!

Christine

Christine,
I think you should do what ever you can do.
Sometimes it hurts us far more to do nothing!
Keep me posted.
Lon

Whatever the outcome of your tenis re pain please try to keep up some form of exercise or other daily. Have had AS over 20 years and am 43 and attempting my first half marathon (walking not running). Firstly I think exercise it what has kept progression at bay and secondly, even though sometimes it can hurt, it sure does improve my mood, keeps me positive.

thanks guys. i am starting a swimming program next week (finally found a pool that has childcare) so am really looking forward to that. also have a treadmill at home which probably doesn't get used as much as it should but my new years resolution was to get my health in some kind of order this year so that's what i have to do!

Christine

i also find this to be true. when i walk or swim routinely, i am so much better. couldn't do anything for a year (2006-2007) due to a hip injury and that was a rough year. don't appreciate the exercise until you can't do it.

sue

I also think it's important to not get too locked in to only one type of exercise or the same workout every time. Not only because of the tedium factor, but also to make sure you're still pushing yourself as much as you can to reap the full benefits of exercise. For ex., right now I usually lift Monday, yoga Tuesday, swim wednesday, lift thursday, run or eliptical friday, yoga saturday, and just do basic rom and bodyweght exercises Sunday.

i agree with you completely and i think once i get a little better, i might be able to do more.

last summer i added bike riding into my routine, just 1-2 x a week, gently and slowly, but after a few months had to give it up because my knees were starting to hurt, some sort of tendon/ligament problem.

i tried swimming this week, but since my trigger points were already active, the swimming just flared up the back and neck spasms.

i stopped yoga class 9 years ago, after being in it for 1 year because i kept pulling things.

so now i'm just back to walking and stretching and floor exercises because everything else seems to injure me of late. i'm hoping the walking and floor exercises are enough to keep me strong. whenever i strengthen with my own body weight (floor exercises), i'm usually fine. whenever i add in weights, i usually develop tendinitis in that area.

mainly sharing to say to everyone, keep as active as you can, so you don't end up hurting yourself when you do try to exercise....of course, maybe for some of us, its unpreventable, but i haven't resolved myself to that yet. i'm hoping by walking and doing the floor exercises, i'll be able to swim again and then maybe even bike again this summer.....we'll see.

sue

Hi Christine,

I am a Tennis enthusiast too. I started playing a year back but only intermittently. So, i am not very consistent with my shots and the back shouts while serving....

But i am handing in there as I am just obsessed with playing it....

Hang in there....