Pickleball Injuries: Shoulder, Elbow, and Achilles

Pickleball Injuries: Shoulder, Elbow, and Achilles

Pickleball has taken over Long Island, and for good reason — it’s easy to learn, social, and playable well into your seventies. But the same qualities that make it accessible are why so many players end up needing physical therapy within their first few months. The court is small, rallies are fast, and the game constantly asks your body to stop, start, twist, and reach overhead, often with no warm-up. Here are the three injuries we see most often, in plain language.

Shoulder: Rotator Cuff Pain

Your rotator cuff is a group of four small muscles that keep your arm centered in its socket. Every serve and overhead smash recruits them. When the muscles around your shoulder blade are weak or your posture rounds forward, those tendons get pinched with each overhead motion — a problem called impingement. Watch for a dull ache on the outside of the shoulder, difficulty reaching overhead, and pain at night when lying on that side. This one rarely improves if you keep playing through it, because the mechanical cause is still there with every serve.

Elbow: Tennis Elbow

Despite the name, tennis elbow is among the most common pickleball injuries. The muscles that extend your wrist attach to a small bony bump on the outside of your elbow, and every grip and ball impact tugs on that spot. Repeat it a few thousand times and the tendon becomes irritated. You’ll feel tenderness on that outer edge and pain gripping a coffee cup or turning a doorknob. Grip size, paddle weight, and squeezing too tightly all contribute — and all are correctable.

Achilles: Tendinitis and Rupture

Achilles tendinitis builds gradually — stiffness at the back of the heel, worst in the morning, easing once you warm up. A rupture happens instantly: a pop or snap at the back of the ankle and the sudden inability to push off. This deserves your attention, especially if you’re new. One study found the average pickleball Achilles rupture patient was about 64 years old, and 68% of those injuries happened within the first month of playing — nearly a third on day one. If you suspect a rupture, stop, stay off the leg, and get evaluated the same day.

Preventing Pickleball Injuries

Warm up for ten minutes every time — walking, side shuffles, arm circles, slow calf raises. Build up gradually rather than playing daily from the start. Strengthen your calves and hips, wear court shoes instead of running shoes, and generate power from your legs and trunk rather than your arm. Above all, don’t play through pain that lasts more than a day or two.

Physical Therapy in Carle Place, Rockville Centre, and Bayport

At Movement Concepts Physical Therapy, patients are treated individually using a hands-on approach combined with specific therapeutic exercises — resolving your pain and addressing why it happened. New here? Our New Patient Center covers insurance and your first visit. Contact us today to get back on the court.