Real Tennis Players - Like You! - Asking For, and Offering, Advice on the Sport They Love
Player to Player is USTA.com’s regular feature in which everyday tennis players are given a forum to ask advice on the sport they love – and their fellow players will dish out advice. We’ll post a number of the best responses we receive to our question of the week.
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SEND YOUR TIPS TODAY
This week's question from Neil:
During a recent junior match, the boy my son was playing started talking loudly, saying "C'mon, right here" just as my son stepped to the line to serve. He did it repeatedly late in the match and only just as my son started to serve. To me, it sounded like he was challenging my son. Like a dare. My son asked him to stop talking. The boy said he could pump himself up if he wanted. Who's right?
Please share your thoughts with Neil by e-mailing Player@USTA.comand include your name and hometown.
Got a question of your own? Send that along, too!
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READ OTHER PLAYERS' ADVICE
Last week’s question from The Postie Family:
(Please note: There's no need to send additional responses to this question)
I have had toe joint pain in my right big toe for two years. It is at the 2nd joint where the toe connects to the foot. It gets very swollen, and the swelling is putting pressure on my 2nd toe. The swelling makes playing tennis and even walking very uncomfortable. I have been told the condition is called Hallux Limitus. I've tried orthotics, but they did not help. I also have had a cortisone shot, but after it wore off I was back to square one.
Has anyone else dealt with this? It is preventing me from enjoying tennis, and also has made me push off with the outside of my foot rather than the ball of my foot. Would love to hear if anyone else has had this and how I get past it.
Player Responses:
From Kenny S., Los Angeles, CA:
This sounds like a real hard situation and I am sorry for you. Playing with pain is part of tennis and many of my friends, family, and the tennis world in general play with pain. Have you tried putting tape around it? Acupuncture might work, I recommend Dr. Deng out of Lake Forest, Illinois. Maybe a Chiropractor can do something? There are these magnets out there that you put under your shoe, this might help. Ice and heat usually helps most injuries. Did a foot doctor recommend any surgery that would solve the problem? So I feel for you, and hope you can get this situation under control, or completely better. Good luck to you, maybe try different shoes, and maybe double socks? Hope you can still play a little, just accept the fact that you have this, and go out on the court with a positive attitude, and try and mentally block it out. Ice after playing, and try to take care of it the best you can!
From Lindy Lou, Bensalem, PA:
You did not say who has this problem, but I can offer you some advice in general. I looked this up on the Internet (and you can too). This looks like a bunion on the top of the toe. Looks like there are 4 stages of this condition and treatment varies according to the stage you have. At best, you can try a small appliance (stage 1). The other stages seem to require surgery, but this does not look like complicated surgery. I would advise you to go to a podiatrist who specializes in sports medicine. If you need surgery, best to get it done and follow the recommended recovery plan. You may be out a few weeks or months, but I'll bet you come back better than ever and best of all, you will be pain free! Good luck.
From Detlef H.:
I had a similar situation in which every time I played tournaments, I would have swelling in the big toe that would act just like gout. Each time I went to the doctor, they would run tests that were inconclusive. Three orthopedists and two podiatrists later, I had an orthopedists finally look at the width of my tennis shoe. Under normal conditions, the shoe wasn't too tight, but during the stops and turns of a match, I would tighten the shoes to the point where the shoes acted as a binding. I switched from a normal 13 to a 14 EEEE (New Balance makes it). Since then I have been playing pain free.
From Amy S., Vienna, VA:
Have you been tested for gout?
From Coach Poppie, Palm Bay, FL:
From personal experience, toe pain is something not to fool with. Stop Playing Immediately. The little bones that support the weight of the body are not designed for extreme stress cause by compensation to avoid immediate pain for prolong periods.
When you speak of the big toe and the joint closest to the foot, you might consider seeing a Rheumatologist for the gout. Millions have fallen into the trap of long-term pain and misdiagnosed symptoms. A simple urine test for high uriatic acid is a huge indicator.
Gout, the disease of Kings, has many levels of pain and there are many theories on what causes gout. Rich foods, shellfish, red meats, and alcohol are considered contributing factors, along with stress. Surgery and the stress associated with it can bring on an episode, as in my case. Normal levels of uriatic acid are 4-5, while I was at a 15 at time of surgery.
Commonly, small crystals develop in that area of the foot causing swelling and excruciating pain. Two weeks after my surgery I crawled into an emergency room and spent three days in a hospital before “it” was diagnosed as gout and then three more days getting back on my feet just to simply walk. My first episode and fortunately for me was crimpling and had to be dealt with is immediately or I too would have not dealt with it as quickly. There is no cure for the gout; however, there are medicines that work great. Once large crystals develop in a joint, it takes time to get some relief.
Stay away from home remedies. Should it be diagnosed as gout there are two drugs used for the gout; colchine a very little pills that gets rid of gout pain and allopurinal which is a maintainer for uriatic acid levels.
In addition, by over compensating to avoid this pain, you can be leading yourself down a path of future misalignment and stress fractures. So take haste and get a second opinion looking for the gout.
From Sharon M., Millwood, NY:
I had the same joint pain in my right toe for years and finally consulted with the chief of podiatry at my local hospital. It turned out that it was due to my years of tennis and was a condition similar to turf toe. My toe, from pushing off, was repeatedly hitting the front of my tennis sneaker. Over time, there was essentially no space in the joint between my big toe and my foot. I had surgery to open up the joint and there is a now a titanium (I believe) screw keeping the joint in place. It did take up to 6 months for a complete recovery, but I can say that I have had absolutely no pain after if finally healed.
From Kathleen S., Collierville, TN:
About two months ago, I played a women's 3.5 USTA league match. I felt great during the match and was fine until about four hours later, I got this immense pain on top of my foot at the joint below my big toe. My foot was swollen and for anything to touch the top of my foot was excruciating. I hobbled around the house and found it nearly impossible to drive with my right foot.
I made an appointment with a foot surgeon. He x-rayed both my feet. The doctor said I had no fractures or anything broken. He said perhaps that I had pinched off the nerves below the ball of my foot/big toe. He did show me that I have calcium build-up at that joint below my big toe (on both feet). In recent months, I had found it uncomfortable and darn near impossible to wear any high heeled shoes. He said for me to come back during a slow time of tennis season and have the calcium build-up scraped away. Until then, I take 400mg ibuprofen once or twice a day and when I do play tennis, I put thick mole skin on top of that joint and make sure that the laces going over the top of my tennis shoes are loose.
From The Big Woof, Aptos, CA:
Please get a second opinion on your diagnosis. It sounds to me like it could also be gout, in which case there are medications which can decrease or eliminate the pain.
*Please note that any advice given out in this forum should in no way be confused with actual medical advice. Before starting any new exercise regimen or altering your existing one, we strongly urge you to consult with your regular physician.