I Have Shoulder Pain After Tennis and I Feel It Around My Shoulder Blade

Shoulder pain around your shoulder blade after tennis can feel sore, tight, or painful with your next swing because repeated serves and strokes can overwork the shoulder and upper back muscles.

When your shoulder pain after tennis seems to sit around your shoulder blade, you may notice it most when you reach back for a serve, swing through a forehand or backhand, or raise your arm after playing. The area can feel like a deep ache or a tight, pulling soreness rather than pain directly in the front of your shoulder.

You may also notice that the shoulder blade area feels fine when you first start playing but becomes more noticeable as the match continues. Repeated swings and serves keep asking the same muscles to work, and they can become tired and sore when you do not have enough time between sessions to fully recover.

The Pain Builds Around Your Shoulder Blade During Tennis

Your shoulder blade area starts aching as you keep swinging.

You may feel the pain become more obvious during longer rallies, repeated serves, or after several games of tennis. As the muscles around your shoulder blade become tired, the area can start to feel tight, sore, or uncomfortable with each additional swing.

Your Shoulder Blade Still Hurts After You Finish Playing

The soreness around your shoulder blade can linger after the match ends.

You might finish playing and notice the pain more when you reach overhead, put on a shirt, or move your arm normally later in the day. If the soreness keeps returning every time you play tennis, the area may not be getting enough time to settle down between sessions.

Why Your Shoulder Blade Keeps Hurting After Tennis

Your shoulder 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 shoulder feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Shoulder Feel Better

Your shoulder 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 shoulder hurt around my shoulder blade after tennis?

Repeated tennis swings and serves can overwork the muscles around your shoulder blade, leaving them sore and tight after play.

Why does shoulder blade pain get worse during tennis?

The pain can increase as repeated swings and serves tire the muscles around your shoulder blade.

Can tennis cause pain around the shoulder blade?

Yes. Repeated serving, swinging, and reaching can strain the muscles around your shoulder blade and cause soreness after tennis.

Why does my shoulder blade still hurt after tennis?

Your shoulder blade area may still be recovering from repeated stress, especially if you continue playing before the soreness settles down.

When should I get shoulder blade pain checked?

Persistent, severe, or worsening shoulder blade pain should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.

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.