History: Started playing a few years ago and really enjoyed the sport so eventually I got training and played graded tournaments with moderate success before the commitment to train and progress got too much with full time work so in the past year or so I have only been playing socially. Always used stiff racquets, VT80 from the start (2015 - May 2019) and since then DZS. Strings have been mainly been hard feeling strings, BG80, AB (since mid 2018), usually strung at 27 with 10% prestretch during later stages of VT80, moving to 28 about a year before changing to DZS. I had to change stringers around May 2019 due to relocation. Issue: My stringer accidentally misread my request and strung DZS at 28+10% with aerosonic instead of aerobite, at first I was going to get them to cut it and restring but on second thought I went with it and tried AS at 28+10 anyways to see how it felt, and it was fantastic, shots felt and sounded great and I was surprising very happy with it. About 2 weeks after first use, I could tell the strings are going to snap in another hour or two, but this session turned out to be the worst session in terms of how shots felt out of the hand and to compensate I think I tried to put more into the shots by swinging harder, which is obviously a mistake because it doesn't always translate to power. Strings do eventually break and my arm felt pretty close to breaking too. A week later I pick up a few more DZS that I ordered from my friend, this time strung with AB @28+10, played 2 3 hours sessions on each side of dinner (level of play quite low, was playing to spend time with my dad), with the strings feeling really unresponsive and I think I made the same compensation mistake as before and at the end of the 7 hours my tricep and right lateral muscle connecting immediately to the shoulder area started hurting. Decided I don't want to use AB over AS again so I got everything restrung with AS and 2 DZS at 29+10 because really hot and humid summer days were just around the corner. Fast forward another week (last week), I no longer felt pain and decided to give AB 29+10 a try, and again felt and sounded fantastic. I may have gone overboard with the volume, playing 3.5 hours on each of saturday and sunday and 9 social tournament matches on Monday. Half way through Monday, tricep starts hurting again, so I decide to rest Tuesday and Wednesday. Played last night and triceps start hurting 20 minutes into the session. So here is the tldr: 1. I think there is an obvious volume issue here and some proper rests are needed 2. can lower tension ever adversely affect injuries. I understand the conventional wisdom is that lower tension is the advice here, and I have considered it these past few days. From personal experience though, the injuries have all occurred when the tension seemingly drops from where I wanted the racquets strung at. The first few sessions with higher tensions have all been fantastic. It's so counterintuitive but to be honest I am unsure what is going here.
Without knowing the whole chronical relation, I experience the same that if a string is worn out, it generates less repulsion and you put more in it. I agree that a dead stringing job can lead to injuries. The question is "Where your strings dead, when it happen." I don't think so. As you said, that you are playing recreational and low level, I can imagine that you play a far too stiff racket for abilities and technique. Why do you increase tension, when you struggle with on/off pain? If you play a stringing job 2-3 weeks I can't imagine that it is so dead and dull that the injuries occure due that, that if you have a decent technique to wield a DuoZS and are physical strong to play 3 days in a row for several hours. I personally think it is a combination of exessive playing of 3 days in a row, beeing not physical used to it, playing a too demand and high tension for your level and a too stiff racket for your low level. I mean, you play a few years badminton, without getting ever very serious. IMO you can't be the skill level to play such a demanding racket at high tension. Whatever you think you can, the clear answer is no for a type of player like you. Have you every tried to use a job without prestretch? FME it can kill the feel and dampening of the vibrations. Have you ever tried a more forgiving racket at a lower tension for a few weeks? Have you ever scheduled to play shorter (4 games) and rest for 1-2 days? I can't answer the question, but a clear "NO!" from me to seek for higher tension and that a tension drop caused your injury. IMO it is so absurd like asking "Hey I drove drunk in my chevy, fall asleep before I reached home and had an accident. Should I buy a Ferrari, to prevent me falling asleep while driving drunk, because I reach home faster."
Thanks for your response, agree that it sounds counter intuitive but feeling can only be anecdotal, and the injury is correlated with a period of high volume play along with constant changes in strings and tension, with the feeling being worst with what I think is a lower tension. I think you might have missed a few parts given how long the post was, I don't usually play recreation and low level, I only started playing purely recreational the past year or so. The main session where I believe the issue started was much lower in play level than what I usually play. Eg, I can comfortably win 21-7/8 with smashing, after i felt some niggles, I could still win very comfortably playing purely defence and driving. I have played softer racquets before, but never liked them so didn't pursue them. Haven't played day in day out with DZS, but have played 6 days each week 2 3 hour sessions a day with VT80 in 2016 and 17 when I trained in china with Jrs for a few weeks, but that was ages ago too. Maybe it is purely volume issue too because since moving interstate, I couldn't play as much on week nights so I might cram too much on the weekends.
You started playing in 2015 with VT80 Badminton in your OP. I really doubt that you are one of these talents who are able to reach a level in 4 years to are capable to wield a stiff racket with a high tension job. For me a player who play 4-5 years badminton and started in his 20's isn't that kind of player I trust to master a Duora ZS. If you are surrounded by so weak players, the chances are high that you play plastics, right? I really doubt that the LOW tension is the culprit. I know many think they are the beast who can play stiff and tight and seek for weird excuses, but I recommend to see a doctor and switch to a tamer racket at lower tension while cutting down the amount of play. You need to find out what cause the pain and heel (doctor) and look in different directions of the cause. Anything else is nuts.
Sounds like this is the cause... Bouncing between extremes of totally doing nothing and then playing high volume. Firstly you need rest. Maybe a couple of weeks break, then start off modestly for about one hour then move to two hours gradually increasing the load. If you feel an hour is not enough, do some squats, sit-ups, planks and Russian twists. Skipping or footwork exercises. Definitely some sort of other exercise midweek will help. Some body weight exercises would be good. Remember you are not going for extra weights to increase strength at the moment as this might strain your triceps again. Progress slowly but surely.
Usually it is high tension that will lead to injury....Seems like the issue is you are using a lot of arm in your forehand stroke. The biceps should be relaxed and elbows straight not bent. Otherwise you end up using the biceps a lot which can easily injure your arm....
