I Have Shoulder Pain When I Play Pickleball and Overhead Shots Make It Worse

Shoulder pain when you play pickleball that gets worse with overhead shots can leave your shoulder sore or tight because repeated reaching continues stressing the shoulder.

You may be fine during easy shots and then notice your shoulder complain when you reach high for an overhead. The pain might feel like a pinch, pull, or deep ache, and you may start changing your swing because you know the next overhead shot is going to hurt.

You may also notice that your shoulder feels increasingly sore as you keep playing. If the pain settles down after you stop but returns the next time you play pickleball, repeated reaching and swinging may be keeping the area from getting enough time to recover.

Overhead Shots Bring On The Shoulder Pain

Your shoulder may hurt sharply or pull when you reach up for an overhead shot.

That high-reaching position can make an already sore shoulder much more noticeable than easier shots. You may hesitate before swinging, feel pain as your arm moves up, or notice that you cannot reach as comfortably as you could before the shoulder started hurting.

Your Shoulder Gets Sorer As The Game Goes On

Your shoulder may start out manageable and become harder to ignore later in the game.

You might notice the first few games feel fine, but repeated serves, swings, and overhead shots gradually leave your shoulder tired and painful. By the end of play, reaching up or moving your arm across your body may feel stiff or restricted.

Why Your Shoulder Hurts More On Overhead Shots

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 when I play pickleball and overhead shots make it worse?

Repeated reaching and swinging can stress your shoulder, making overhead shots more painful when the area is already sore or tired.

Why do overhead shots hurt my shoulder more than other pickleball shots?

Overhead shots require your arm to reach higher, which can be more uncomfortable when your shoulder has limited mobility or is already irritated.

Why does my shoulder hurt more as I keep playing pickleball?

Repeated swings and overhead shots can gradually fatigue your shoulder, causing pain to become more noticeable as the game continues.

Should I keep playing pickleball if overhead shots hurt my shoulder?

If overhead shots consistently cause or worsen your shoulder pain, reducing the activity and giving your shoulder time to recover is important.

How long can shoulder pain from pickleball take to improve?

Recovery varies depending on the cause of your shoulder pain and whether the shoulder continues to be stressed during play.

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.