At the Open

Dr. David Dines at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

Dr. Joshua Dines (left) and Dr. David Dines (right)
These pictures were taken before the rains came on Saturday.

Hydration in all forms

This is traditionally one of the best day of tennis at the US Open with both men's semifinal matches and the women's final match scheduled. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been cooperating. We were able to finish Roger Federer's match, but unfortunately the Nadal-Murray match and the women's final had to be postponed due to torrential downpours of rain and wind. Even during the Federer match, the weather wasn't ideal. Not due to rain, but due to heat and humidity. Just sitting in the stands we were sweating. We can only imagine how much the players were perspiring. They were drinking a tremendous amount of fluids during each changeover. It got us talking about the fact that most amateur players don't hydrate appropriately when playing. In fact, it isn't just when playing....players need to hydrate before and after a match as well. There are tons of different sports drinks availble now, some of which are even low calorie. Make a habit of drinking a sufficient amount when playing. Hopefully this rain will stop so we can watch some more great tennis.

Career saving techniques

Great doubles action today. the Bryan Brothers won the championship in a tightly contested match. It made us think about the advances within the field of sports medicine over the last few years. One of the players has a history of hip pain that as recently as 10 years ago could have been career ending. The power that todays' players generate when hitting groundstrokes or serves doesn't just come from their arms or shoulders; no, it is a full body motion. The hip actually plays an important role in generating the strength. So, pain in the hip can be problematic. In the past, pain in the hip was usually attributed to arthritis and treatment options consisted of rest and/or antiinflammatories. Then, down the road, one could have a hip replacement.....not a viable option for a young tennis player. As MRI technology has improved over the years, we have been able to delineate an entire new subset of pathologies in the hip that can respond to newer treatment options. Intraarticular injections of cortisone into the hip can be beneficial, but an even more dramatic advance has been the use of arthroscopy to treat hip pain. Arthroscopy, which is a minimally invasive form of surgery that uses a small camera to see into the joint obviating the need for a big incision, has been used in the shoulder and knee for years. But, until recently, its use in the hip was limited. Now, surgeons are able to clean up and/or repair structures in the hip joint arthroscopically, enabling players to get back to tennis for injuries that may have previously ended careers.