Causes of injuries playing squash | Quality Squash Stores

As far as muscle injuries are concerned, these are mainly calf muscle, hamstrings and back muscles. A tear in the Achilles tendon occurs regularly. It is mainly the older players who run a greater risk. Especially in the group of forty years and older, there was a greater number of injuries to the musculoskeletal system.
An important part of injuries caused by overloading consists of chronic back pain. At the upper extremities these are in decreasing order of frequency: chronic wrist problems, muscular disorders of the shoulder and the so-called tennis elbow. The lower extremities are kneecap complaints, chronic meniscus disorders, inflammation of the Achilles tendon and chronic ankle pain. It is striking that, as far as the upper extremities are concerned, the most important overuse injury is that of the wrist. This is a faulty impact technique in which the ball is beaten from the wrist and the overstretching is forced. Since the squash racket and the squash ball are relatively heavy (especially compared to a badminton racket and shuttle), overloading occurs on the back of the wrist. Quality Squash Stores examined the injuries when playing squash.

Causes of injuries
The relatively high injury rate in squash is caused by several factors. The first of these is the nature of the game itself. Two players are on the move in the same small space while using a percussion weapon and have to continuously adapt to rapidly changing movement patterns. The rules of the game provide for a rally stop and asking for a ‘let’, if the player feels that continuing to play would endanger the opponent. Ignorance of the rules (for beginners) significantly increases the risk of injury, especially as the speed of play means that such a decision must be made more or less instinctively.

Another cause is that there is relatively short time to recover between rallies. The time between two games (90 seconds) is the only way to recover.
Injuries in beginners are mainly caused by ignorance of the rules, incorrect technique, inexperience and an insufficient physical condition. Injuries to top players are often caused by overload during the game and training.

Preventing injuries during squash
The most important preventive measures that are given are:

better awareness, better knowledge and application of the rules of the game,
increased knowledge and skill in technique and tactics,
good and balanced training program,
Wearing the right quality shoes.
Squash shoes must provide sufficient support for the foot, and the sole must have shock-absorbing qualities. The underside of the sole must have a profile that does not interfere with the turning movement. Most squash shoes therefore have a circular profile.
The role of tapes and bandages is still under discussion. For players with a chronic instability of the ankle, this measure may well be useful. The warming-up and cooling down and taping of sensitive, vulnerable joints is also important in terms of prevention.
For the prevention of eye damage, special eye protectors are eligible. A squash webshop like Quality Squash Stores can assist with this.

If the eye is unprotected, there is a risk of injury from the racket or the ball. Regular glasses or contact lenses do not provide protection against eye damage. On the contrary, they increase the risk of a penetrating eye injury. No open (lensless) lens protection device complies with the safety rules. The only eye protectors that offer sufficient protection are made of polycarbonate plastic.

Although almost all squash players know that eye damage can occur, few eye protectors are worn. The main reason for this is that such glasses could restrict the field of vision. Most players weigh this small (but serious) risk of an eye injury against the advantage that the opponent, who plays without glasses, has.
This decision almost always leads to the disadvantage of the eye protectors: almost no safety glasses are worn. The final decision lies with the squash association, which, based on the frequency and severity of the injuries, could make the use of eye-protectors compulsory.

Sportzorg.nl is the information website of sports doctors in the Netherlands. The information on Sportzorg.nl cannot be regarded as a substitute for the consultation or a treatment by a (sports) doctor. We would like to emphasize that if you have any doubts about health, treatment or medication, you should always contact your (sports) doctor, specialist or pharmacist. Sportzorg.nl can not be held liable if the information does not fully comply with accuracy, completeness or effectiveness. The use of the information is entirely based on the user’s own risk.