PT Tips to Address Muscle Imbalances from Tennis: Meet Dr. Joani Essenmacher

In my last post, Dr. Kamshad Raiszadeh shared with us the 5 Common Back Injuries he sees in young athletes, why these muscle imbalances are prevalent in tennis players and some solutions to avoid them. In this next series, Dr. Joani Essenmacher, a physical therapist and athletic trainer with over 27 years experience with players on the WTA TOUR, will give us some tips to address the muscle imbalances caused by tennis.

Let’s meet Joani!

I first met Joani Essenmacher when I was 20 years in my second full year on the WTA TOUR. The trainers see us at our best and our worst: after long matches, tough losses, big wins, on court assessing an injury during a match, the daily grind on the practice courts and the general highs and lows of the challenges of TOUR life.  In all my years competing on tour it was very rare to have a week where you didn’t see the trainer daily for either (hopefully not all) match prep, taping, pre-practice treatment, post-match or practice treatment. Just as people open up to bartenders and hairdressers, players feel the connection to open up to the trainers. There are a select few people in the player’s world who you trust more than the trainers and Joani is one of the best!

How did you start working with the WTA TOUR?

I finished my MS degree at Purdue after PT (Physical Therapy) school at Northwestern, and I met Kathleen Stroia, head of Sport Sciences & Medicine on the WTA Tour. Kathleen was looking for another female PT/ATC (Certified Athletic Trainer) who wanted to travel and work with the WTA TOUR. I had always wanted to be involved in professional sports. My Dad used to bring a former Detroit Lions football player to our home when I was in college to explore working with the NFL; I think my Dad was very progressive. But, at that time, the only opportunities for female ATCs was the WTA and the LPGA circuits.

How long have you worked with the WTA Tour?

I started at the US OPEN in 1990 for an interview/work experience with Kathleen Stroia. After about four 14 to 16 + hour days, I overslept and took the 2nd bus; luckily, I still got the job!!!

What degrees/certifications do you have? What qualifications does the WTA TOUR require?

My certifications are PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, and ATC.  I am a board-certified OCS (Orthopedic Clinical Specialist) and SCS (Sports Clinical Specialist).

Many years ago, the original WTA requirements were ATC (Certified Athletic Trainer). Then in 1990, requirements were PT/ATC; now because many of the physios are from countries where there is not an ATC, a sports certification or training from their country is required. Some of the current American physios were not ATC’s but took a sports certification in the US.

How has the WTA TOUR Health Staff changed over the years from when you started?

It is much more professional and cohesive with new programs added for the players, such as:

1. Dry needling, manipulation, Graston, cupping and women’s health.
2. Athlete Assistance Program including Nutrition/Sleep/Hydration, Medial Advisory, with an internist, dermatologist and much more.
3. Added more staff: at my 1st French Open, it was Kathleen and myself, we did 56 draws by ourselves; once in Rome, I remember peeking outside the training room at the line of players waiting for me, and there were about seven players, including Martina Navratilova! Kindly, someone offered to bring me lunch on a plate!! At my most recent US OPEN I think there were 6-8 WTA physios and at Birmingham, there were 5 of us for a 56 draw!

What does your typical day look like as a trainer on the WTA TOUR?

We start 1-2 hours before match play depending on the time of the first match and stay until 1 hour after matches. We are also available if there is an emergency (i.e., a player gets the flu during the middle of the night) or if she needs taping before practice.

Long days: We now have injury meetings at breakfast every morning. A few years ago, in Wuhan, we met for breakfast meetings to discuss players’ injuries and care at 8 am, took the 9 am bus, got to courts by 10 am for 11 am matches. Took a 10 pm bus home after matches were finished. What is that? 14-hr days I guess…US OPEN would be even longer…sometimes 8 am until midnight!

What do you like most about your work?

I love to help athletes and especially female athletes. As an athletic trainer at Purdue, I traveled with women’s field hockey, volleyball, and basketball, as well as men’s football and wrestling.

I love taping and court calls–having to run to court, assess an injury and then take an MTO (medical timeout) for 3 minutes. A lot of adrenaline! (OK, maybe not as much as a professional player, but still…)

It is exciting to see the changes to the WTA TOUR, with all the physios from different countries and the collaboration; longer treatment times with the players since we have more physios!

What is/was your favorite tournament/city?

I always liked the more unusual venues like Krakow, Seoul, Moscow; but of course, the French, with the red clay, and amazing city!

How many weeks on the WTA TOUR have you been working in recent years?

As an independent contractor, I do about six tournaments per year on the Tour. My original contract was for 24 tournament weeks per year; I remember one year I was gone 220 days. I threw all my mail/bills in a suitcase and hopped on a plane. No email or online bill pay then, faxes for $1!!!

Where do you live?

I just purchased a condo in Santa Monica, CA. I am originally from Detroit, MI, which is an amazing city with its history and roots. Some former WTA TOUR players are still active in the area as teaching pros (Amy Frazier).

What is your current full-time job?

I always have been interested in many things… I currently have three positions as well as independent Primary Health Care Provider for the WTA TOUR.

1. Clinical Specialist at Kaiser Permanente, mentoring residents in the SoCal KP Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency.
2. Private Practice in Santa Monica at the Stacey Smith Physical Therapy. It is an awesome practice where we spend an hour with each client, including a few tennis pros!
3. Adjunct Professor at Mt. St. Mary’s University Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program. I teach two semesters/year in Applied Kinesiology and Clinical Pathology

What type of PT do you do outside of your work for the WTA TOUR?

I still do a lot of manual therapy, like we do on TOUR, but have added a post-professional Doctorate from USC, cupping and Graston work to my tool-box, as well as a Women’s Health specialty.

I have also worked as a personal physiotherapist for Steffi Graf, Venus and Serena Williams, worked with the USTA Pro Circuits, and USA Men’s Beach Volleyball.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Yoga, running, biking, hiking, traveling, and stand-up paddling. I plan on taking tennis lessons again soon! :))

In the next few posts, we will have Joani’s tips for strengthening, stretching and core exercises to address the muscle imbalances that Dr. Kamshad Raiszadeh wrote about in the 5 Most Common Back Injuries in Young Athletes.

Safe to say, no one knows tennis related injuries better than the physical therapists and athletic trainers who travel with the professional players. They have a unique insider’s knowledge of the long-term wear and tear with the asymmetrical demands on the body, the acute short-term injuries, and the emotional challenges of TOUR life.

Please contact me via email or in the comments section below with any specific injury or training related questions for Dr. Joani Essenmacher.