Question
Is there a clinical way to measure the "orthopedic friendliness" of tennis courts.  I know that clay(soft) courts are better for joint fatigue than hard courts.  I play Platform Tennis (very popular in Chicago area) and the courts are coated with an anti-skid grit on an aluminum base and there is no "give" or "slide" to player's abrupt starting and stopping.  I've heard of a term called "footlock" but can't find any info on it or a way to measure it.  Any input?  Thanks in advance.

Answer
These Chicago Podiatrists, Elmhurst Podiatrists & South Loop Orthopedic Podiatrists say.......

Dear Jean,
The court is not orthopedic friendly at all-and I would advise not playing on it if you play competitively. If you are not doing a lot of stops & starts at high velocity-then it may be acceptable with cushioned shoe gear & good technique. The injury you are describing is similar to turf-toe.
Turf toe happens when your big toe joint is planted on the ground-but your body continues to move forward---nasty sprain of the metatarsophalangeal joint. The potential injury would depend on your weight, your speed(accelerating or decelerating)and the position of the joint involved as these forces travel through that area.
Hope This Helps.
Good Luck!
Dr George Tsatsos & Svetlana Zats
Podiatrist Chicago 60618 & Elmhurst 60126 Podiatrists
Board Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery & Orthopedics
New South Loop Location-Chicago 60661
AnkleNFoot.com
Runnersdoc.com
BabyFootDoc.com

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