Our MANHAGEN SPORTS TEAM never shies away from a challenge and takes part in a wide range of events across the region. Whether cycling for the climate, running for a good cause or inline skating a marathon, we are represented at numerous sporting events.

Many colleagues at Manhagen, including members of our medical teams, support clubs and associations in their free time. It is a wonderful commitment that we are proud to support. Whether as a team doctor, medical volunteer or coach, there are countless ways to volunteer in sport. Our sincere thanks go to everyone at Manhagen who gives their time. You can find a selection below.

What sports do you enjoy? Our colleagues take part in a wide range of sports, often very successfully. Here we share stories from within our own team.

Tennis remains extremely popular into later life and involves every aspect of physical performance. It trains endurance, strength, speed, mobility and coordination, making the movements typical of tennis an excellent form of exercise for both the metabolism and musculoskeletal system. Germany has 9,200 tennis clubs. The German Tennis Federation, based in Hamburg, is the country’s third-largest sports association, with 1.4 million members playing on around 47,000 courts.

Compared with other popular sports, tennis has a relatively low injury rate. In recent years, however, its technical and athletic demands have reached a new level. Short, extremely fast rallies, sudden sprints with abrupt changes of direction, high serving speeds, whip-like backhands and extreme grip positions place exceptional demands on the musculoskeletal system, often approaching the limits of what muscles, ligaments and joints can tolerate. Anyone who steps onto the court without warming up, with poor stroke technique or unsuitable equipment risks painful and sometimes serious injury.

Dr Matthias Gebhardt is a specialist in orthopaedics and trauma surgery as well as general surgery, with additional qualifications in specialist trauma surgery and sports medicine. Before joining Manhagen, the experienced sports physician spent ten years at BG Klinikum Hamburg Boberg, including six years as a Senior Physician. Dr Gebhardt has highly specialised experience in the conservative and surgical treatment of professional athletes from Germany and abroad. Alongside his work at Klinik Manhagen’s MVZ practices, he also operates at the hospital.

Below, he explains the injuries he commonly encounters in tennis and how they can be prevented or treated.

Acute injuries often affect the lower limbs. The physical demands of tennis include frequent sprints as well as rapid changes of direction and deceleration, resulting in high eccentric forces. Muscle injuries are common, including hamstring tears and injuries at the junction between the calf and Achilles tendon caused by explosive jumping, known as tennis leg. These movements can also lead to serious Achilles tendon injuries.

Rolling the ankle while decelerating sideways, as is typical in tennis, or stepping on a ball during training frequently causes painful injuries to the joint capsule and ligaments of the ankle. It can occasionally even result in fractures, particularly of the outer or inner ankle bone. Rapid changes of direction can sprain the knee joint and may cause collateral ligament injuries or the much-feared cruciate ligament tear.

Acute accidents and injuries in particular should be assessed by a specialist trauma surgeon or sports medicine physician. It is often difficult for a non-specialist to determine whether an injury simply requires a short break from sport or needs surgery by an experienced specialist in order to heal properly.

Chronic injuries and overuse syndromes mainly affect the upper limb and, less often, the spine. The most commonly reported problem is lateral epicondylitis, a painful inflammation of the bony prominence on the outside of the upper arm bone at the elbow and the nearby tendon origins of the wrist and finger extensor muscles. It is appropriately known as “tennis elbow”. Persistent overloading with repeated micro-injuries causes degenerative changes where this muscle group’s tendons attach. Treatment can take a long time and may severely test the patience of some athletes.

As is so often the case, prevention is easier and generally less time-consuming than treating established symptoms. A useful first step is to ask an experienced coach to check the racket, grip and technical execution of the serve and topspin strokes. Stabilising strength exercises for the muscles around the elbow and isometric exercises for the forearm extensor muscles can also help prevent problems. The affected muscle groups should additionally be stretched after activity.

The overhead movements specific to tennis, particularly serving and smashing, can lead to what is known as the athlete’s shoulder. The underlying cause, correct diagnosis and treatment of this painful combination of instability and impingement symptoms are all highly complex. The instability is often caused by changes to the passive stabilising structures of the shoulder, such as the labrum, joint capsule and ligaments. Clinical examination reveals a characteristic change in shoulder rotation. At the same time, however, this range of rotation is essential to the backswing, enabling maximum acceleration through internal rotation and therefore high ball speeds. Conversely, these altered patterns of shoulder rotation can create mechanisms of injury that sometimes require surgery.

Preventive training management should be introduced at an early stage to reduce the risk of a shoulder injury. Stabilising exercises that centre the head of the humerus, performed under physiotherapy guidance, can also help prevent shoulder injuries.

Klinik Manhagen has taken part in the annual CITY CYCLING campaign in the municipality of Großhansdorf for several years. The aim is to cover as many kilometres as possible by bicycle or e-bike. The campaign combines climate action with a competition to see which municipalities and teams cycle the greatest distance.

Anyone who lives or works in the Stormarn district can take part. Every kilometre cycled during the campaign period counts, not only journeys to and from work.

www.stadtradeln.de/grosshansdorf

Each year, colleagues come together to form a Klinik Manhagen team.