Badminton: returning after an injury

Risks and order of return

Deep lunges, jumps and overhead arms load the shoulder, knee and Achilles tendon; resume without smashes or jumps, with slow rallies.

Badminton: start with slow baseline rallies. Forward lunges, jumps and smashes come back one at a time, matches last.

Bringing the movement back in four stages

1. 1

   Footwork without a shuttlecock and shadow strokes, no matches.

2. 2

   Slow clears with a recreational shuttlecock, strokes on one side only.

3. 3

   Longer rallies, gentle lunges, changes of direction, no smashes or jumps.

4. 4

   Smashes, jumps, fast play and matches.

Common injuries in this sport

• Shoulder (rotator cuff)Avoid smashes and powerful clears; keep the stroke low and slow.
• Achilles tendonLimit jumps and deep lunges, and warm up the calves well.
• Patellar tendon (jumper’s knee)Cut down on jumps and use short, slow lunges.

Preparation exercises

• Slow forward lunge

  Take a big step forward, lower the back knee towards the floor pain-free, front knee in line with the foot, then rise. Build the range gradually.

  To start: 3 sets of 8 per leg, every other day.

  Variations, mistakes and progression

  Easier

  Smaller range, one hand on a chair.

  Harder

  Lower, then with weights in your hands.

  Common mistakes

  • Front knee caving in.
  • Leaning the trunk forward.

  Moving on

  When 3 × 10 is clean and causes no discomfort the next day.

• Heel raises

  Standing, rise on both feet and lower slowly over 3 seconds. Keep the knee straight, then bent to work the other part of the calf.

  To start: 3 sets of 12, 3 seconds down, every other day.

  Variations, mistakes and progression

  Easier

  Seated on a chair, a light weight on your knees.

  Harder

  Heels over the edge of a step, to go lower.

  Common mistakes

  • Bouncing at the bottom instead of controlling the way down.
  • Rising higher on one side than the other.

  Moving on

  When 3 × 15 is easy with no discomfort the next day: move on to single-leg raises.

• External rotation with band

  Elbow against the body, bent to 90 degrees, rotate the forearm outwards then return slowly.

  To start: 3 sets of 12, 3 seconds back, every other day.

  Variations, mistakes and progression

  Easier

  No band, or lying on your side without weight.

  Harder

  Stronger band, then with the arm out at 90 degrees.

  Common mistakes

  • Lifting the elbow away from the body.
  • Turning the trunk to help.

  Moving on

  When 3 × 15 is easy with no shoulder pain.

• Scapular retraction (band row)

  Band anchored in front of you, pull the elbows back bringing the shoulder blades together, return over 3 seconds.

  To start: 3 sets of 12, 3 seconds back, every other day.

  Variations, mistakes and progression

  Easier

  No band, just bring the shoulder blades together.

  Harder

  Stronger band, with a 2-second hold at the back.

  Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the shoulders to the ears.
  • Pulling with the hands rather than the shoulder blades.

  Moving on

  When 3 × 15 with a medium band is easy.

• Small jump landing

  advanced

  Jump a few centimetres and land softly on both feet, knees in line, then hold 2 seconds. Advanced exercise.

  To start: 3 sets of 5 landings, twice a week, after a warm-up.

  Variations, mistakes and progression

  Easier

  Simply rise onto your toes and come down quickly, without leaving the floor.

  Harder

  Slightly higher hops, then on one leg, then sideways.

  Common mistakes

  • Noisy landing with stiff legs.
  • Knees caving in.

  Moving on

  When 3 × 8 landings are quiet, knees in line, with no discomfort the next day.

• Lateral shuffles

  Knees bent, chest up, weight on the balls of your feet: take 4 to 6 shuffle steps to the right without crossing your feet or bouncing high, then to the left.

  To start: 4 rounds of 5 steps each way, at an easy pace, every other day.

  Variations, mistakes and progression

  Easier

  Walk sideways, without any airborne phase.

  Harder

  Faster, then reacting to a signal (a partner points the direction).

  Common mistakes

  • Standing fully upright between steps.
  • Letting the knee cave in as you push off.

  Moving on

  When 6 fast rounds cause no discomfort the next day: move on to your sport’s changes of direction.

The doses are starting points. Stay at 2 out of 10 discomfort at most, during and the next day; otherwise switch to the easier version or go back to the previous exercise.

Equipment and set-up

• Court shoes with good cushioning and grip.
• Slower shuttles at first.
• A light racket, strings not too tight.