Lower extremity tennis injuries. Prevalence, etiology, and mechanism.

A retrospective investigation was undertaken to determine the prevalence of tennis-related lower extremity injuries in the San Francisco Bay area. A total of 376 participants at various Bay area tennis clubs completed a questionnaire before registering for tournament play. The results obtained from the survey indicate that 91.2% of this population had an injury to the lower extremity. A discussion of the etiology and mechanism of the various lower extremity injuries is presented.