You may notice a sharp pull or ache on the outside of your elbow when you stretch your arm out for wide pickleball shots, especially when your forearm has to overreach and stabilize the swing.
When you reach far outside your body for a wide shot, you may feel a sharp or tight pain along the outside of your elbow. It usually shows up when your arm is fully extended and your forearm is trying to control the swing. This often happens when the forearm tendons are getting overloaded from repeated reaching and braking.
You may notice the pain most when you’re stretched out at full reach, trying to save a wide ball or redirect it back across the court. The elbow can feel like it grabs suddenly, especially when your arm is slightly locked out and your wrist is still trying to control the paddle.
After a few rallies like this, the area may start to feel more sensitive even during smaller reaches. The repeated stretch-and-brake motion through the forearm can leave the outside of your elbow feeling tight, sore, and easily irritated during quick reactions.
Reaching Wide Feels Like A Sudden Pull In The Elbow
You feel a sharp pull on the outside of your elbow when you fully extend for a wide shot.
This usually happens when you’re forced to reach beyond your comfortable range and your forearm has to take over control of the paddle. The tendons around the outside of your elbow can get overloaded in that split second of full extension.
The Elbow Tightens When You Try To Control The Swing At Full Extension
The pain shows up when you try to guide the ball back while your arm is stretched out.
You may notice it feels worse when you’re trying to slow the paddle down or redirect power from a wide position. That braking effort at full reach puts extra strain through the outside of your elbow, making it feel tight or irritated.
Why Your Elbow Could Be Taking Longer To Heal
Your elbow has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.
Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.
When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your elbow feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.
What Can Help Your Elbow Feel Better
Your elbow starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.
Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.
Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.
If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.
If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.
If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.
If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.
If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.
Why does my elbow hurt when I reach for wide pickleball shots?
You may feel a sharp or tight pain on the outside of your elbow when your arm fully extends to reach wide shots. This often comes from repeated strain on the forearm tendons during stretched, controlled movements.
Is this the same as tennis elbow?
It can feel similar because both involve irritation around the outside of the elbow. In many cases, repeated reaching and gripping in pickleball can overload the same forearm tendons.
Why does it hurt more during stretched-out reaches?
Full extension puts your forearm in a weaker position, so the tendons have to work harder to stabilize the paddle. That extra load can trigger sharp or pulling pain.
Can my grip be making the elbow pain worse?
A tight grip can increase tension through the forearm during wide reaches. This adds more strain to the outside of the elbow when you try to control the shot.
When should I worry about elbow pain during play?
If the pain keeps getting sharper, lasts after play, or starts affecting normal daily movement, it’s a sign the area is not recovering well and should be checked by a professional.
Recommended Products
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• Acute Sinew Liniment — Used when pain, swelling, and inflammation are present to relieve pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, and increase blood flow and circulation to injured tissues.
• Sinew Herbal Ice — Used when the injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation and range of motion.
• Chronic Sinew Liniment — Used for pain and stiffness after swelling and inflammation are gone to relieve pain, strongly stimulate circulation, and promote the healing of injured tendons and ligaments.
• Sinew Injury Poultice — Used for chronic tendon and ligament injuries to significantly stimulate circulation and promote deeper tissue recovery.
• Sinew Sports Massage Oil — Used before or after activity to warm and stimulate muscles, increase circulation, relieve tightness, and improve flexibility in muscles and joints.
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The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.
