I Have Elbow Pain When I Play Pickleball and It Feels Tender to the Touch

Elbow pain that feels tender to the touch when you play pickleball can come from repeated gripping and swinging that strains the tendons around your elbow.

When your elbow hurts during pickleball and is also tender when you touch it, the tenderness can make the problem feel more noticeable than ordinary soreness. You may find yourself checking the area with your fingers and realizing that a spot around the elbow is painful to press, while gripping your paddle or swinging can bring the deeper ache back.

The tendons that connect your forearm muscles to the elbow are repeatedly involved when you grip a paddle and control your shots. When those tendons become irritated from repeated use, the area can become sensitive to pressure as well as movement, particularly after a long session or several days of play.

Gripping The Paddle Keeps Your Tender Elbow Working

Repeated paddle gripping puts continued demand on the forearm muscles and their elbow tendons.

Your grip stays active through serves, volleys, groundstrokes, and quick changes in direction. If your elbow is already sensitive, repeatedly tightening your forearm can keep the tendons around the elbow working and make the tender spot more painful when you press on it.

The Soreness Builds As You Keep Swinging

Repeated swings can make an already tender elbow more sensitive as the game continues.

You may start a game with only mild soreness and then notice the elbow becoming more painful after repeated shots. As your forearm muscles fatigue, the area can have a harder time handling another series of swings comfortably, making the tenderness more obvious when you touch the elbow afterward.

Why Your Elbow Stays Tender After Pickleball

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 feel tender to the touch after pickleball?

Repeated gripping and swinging can irritate the tendons around your elbow, making the area painful when you press on it.

Can playing pickleball make a tender elbow worse?

Yes. Continuing to grip and swing can keep stressing the painful area and increase tenderness during or after play.

Is elbow tenderness from pickleball related to overuse?

It can be. Repeated paddle swings and gripping can place ongoing stress on the tendons around your elbow.

Why does my elbow hurt when I press on it after pickleball?

Tenderness with pressure can occur when the tissues around the elbow have become irritated from repeated activity.

Should I keep playing pickleball if my elbow is tender?

If the tenderness is increasing or your elbow hurts during play, reducing activity can help prevent continued stress on the painful area.

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.