Key Takeaways
- Pickleball elbow is similar to tennis elbow and stems from inflammation in the tendons running along the outside of the elbow.
- Doing stretches, taking over-the-counter pain relievers/gels, and resting all help relieve pickleball elbow.
- When you return to playing, stretch out and warm up your muscles so you don’t reinjure yourself.
With pickleball courts and clubs sprouting up across the United States, it is no surprise that more people are flocking to the sport as a way to get good exercise and spend time with friends.
As with most sports, there are some injuries that happen more often than others – including a common injury called pickleball elbow. Pickleball elbow is similar to tennis elbow, which is caused by repetitive motion with the snapping motion of your wrist and forearm when hitting the ball.
Rami Elshaar, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon and Medical Director of Shoulder Surgery at Rochester General Hospital. He explains how to recognize pickleball elbow, how it can be treated, and ways that you can prevent injury in the future.
Symptoms of pickleball elbow
You might start to notice symptoms of pickleball elbow a couple hours after finishing up a match.
The main symptom is a constant pain that runs along the outside of the elbow. That pain stems from inflammation of the tendons that connect the wrist and forearm.
You might feel the pain more often when using those same tendons and muscles to grab an object, open a door, hold a coffee mug or pen, or clean a window.
How to treat pickleball elbow
If you suspect that you might have pickleball elbow, start stretching out that area along your outer elbow in the morning.
The pickleball elbow stretch is done by:
- Extending your arm all the way out
- Bending your wrist 90° down until you feel a stretch
- Rotating your elbow out
- Holding the stretch for 15-30 seconds
- Repeat 2-4 times
Using over-the-counter pain relief medications like ibuprofen or Aleve, or topical gels like Voltaren can be helpful.
Taking time to rest your arm can do a lot of good, as well.
“If you push through too much, and you’re just playing through pain, it can lead to more inflammation, more discomfort, and it will take you longer to recover,” Dr. Elshaar said.
When you decide to start playing again, stretch out before you begin to warm up your muscles and tendons.
“I’m a big believer in doing the things you love, and if that’s something you enjoy, be safe, stretch before you play and do your best to avoid injury, but enjoy yourself too,” Dr. Elshaar said.
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