ABSTRACT Advances in Basic Medical Sciences Analysis of Rotator Cuff Injury in Tennis Players Using Long Racket versus Short Racket ORIGINAL ARTICLE 1 2 3 1 1 3 Barirah Khan *, Yasir Khan , Zayad Tariq ,Shabnum Aamir , Waqar Ahmed , Zaheer Ahmed 1 Department of Anatomy, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan Department of Orthopaedics, Frontier Medical and Dental College, Abbottabad, Pakistan Medical Officer, Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Balakot, Pakistan 2 INTRODUCTION ABMS 37 | | Background: Tennis is a famous recreational sport worldwide; however, it involves numerous abrupt and distinct body movements that may lead to severe musculoskeletal injuries to the player. Most common musculoskeletal injuries in tennis are overuse injuries of wrist and elbow. But certain factors may also put stress on other body parts, for instance, shoulder and calf regions. The aim of the study was to find out association of rotator cuff injury with length of rackets among tennis players. Methodology: This analytical association study was conducted in Shahina Jamil Hospital - Frontier Medical College, Abbottabad and King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, Mansehra. Inclusive criteria were fulfilled by recruiting tennis players from different clubs and universities. Data was collected after taking informed consent through convenient non-probability sampling technique. Hawkins-Kennedy test was used to assess the rotator cuff tendinitis. Results: The results showed that the age and experience have a consistent relationship with the racket lengths, with older and more experienced participants using long racket frequently. However, the probability (p-value) of association of rotator cuff injury and length of rackets used by tennis player was 0.488, indicating that rotator cuff injury is not dependent on the length of the racket used by tennis players. Conclusion: There was no significant association between rotator cuff injury with the length of long and short rackets in tennis players. The probability of injury may depend on the body mechanics of the player. Keywords: Pain, Rotator cuff, Shoulder joint, Sports, Tennis, Overuse injuries, Musculoskeletal, Racket/Racquet length Tennis is amongst the most famous sports worldwide as it involves a remarkable amalgamation of aerobic and 1 anaerobic moves making it an exciting game for the youth. Yet at ground level, tennis exposes its player towards a dynamic series of strokes and rapid movements, leading to 2,3,4 a diverse profile of musculoskeletal injuries. So, to meet the physical demands of this sport, athletes put themselves 5,6 at the venture of several musculoskeletal injuries. Hence, we can conclude that more than 50% of athlete departures from tennis can be attributed to injuries. This highly increased prevalence of injuries has shifted the attention of many researchers towards the mechanics of playing 7 tennis. Most common injuries resulting from tennis may be caused 5,8 by sudden movements and overuse syndromes, presenting mostly as pain and inflammation. These overuse injuries can be sustained because of the failure of body to continuously strike back to monotonous and micro-traumatic occasions of over-burden. These injuries are most prevalent in lower extremity, but also affect upper extremity and low back in the same ratio. These injuries include plantar fasciitis, Achilles strain, calf strain, hamstring strain, jumper's knee, tennis elbow, low back 9 pain, etc. According to the available knowledge the leading reasons for injuries among tennis players can be *For Correspondence Dr. Barirah Khan Assistant Professor Anatomy, Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Email: bairirahkhan86@gmail.com This article may be cited as: Khan B, Khan Y, Tariq Z, Aamir S, Ahmed W, Ahmed Z. Analysis of Rotator Cuff Injury in Tennis Players Using Long Racket versus Short Racket. Adv Basic Med Sci. 2020;4(1):37-41 Jan-June 2020 VOL. 4 NO. 1 3