I Have Tennis Elbow and Playing Pickleball Keeps Flare-Ups Coming Back

Your tennis elbow keeps flaring when you play pickleball because repeated gripping and swinging can keep stressing the tendon before it has fully recovered.

If you have tennis elbow, you may notice that pickleball feels fine for the first few minutes and then the outside of your elbow gradually starts to ache. A firm paddle grip, repeated swings, and quick changes in direction can make the pain more noticeable as you keep playing.

You may also find that the elbow feels worse later that day or the next morning, even if you were able to finish playing. The tendon can remain sensitive after repeated activity, so another game before the area has had enough time to recover can bring the same soreness right back.

Repeated Paddle Swings Make Your Elbow Hurt More

Your elbow starts aching as the game goes on.

You may feel a dull ache or sharper pain on the outside of your elbow after repeated swings, especially when you keep gripping the paddle tightly. As the game continues, the discomfort can become harder to ignore because the same arm keeps making the same movement over and over.

The Pain Comes Back When You Return To Pickleball

Your elbow feels better with rest but flares again when you play.

You might have several days when your elbow feels much better, only to notice the pain return during your next pickleball session. This happens when the activity resumes before the tendon has had enough time to recover from the repeated stress of gripping and swinging.

Why Your Elbow Keeps Flaring During 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 repeated irritation.

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 tennis elbow flare up when I play pickleball?

Repeated gripping and swinging can keep stressing the tendon involved in tennis elbow, especially when you continue playing after the elbow starts becoming sore.

Can pickleball make tennis elbow come back?

Yes. If your elbow has improved but has not fully recovered, returning to repeated gripping and swinging can bring the pain back.

Why does my tennis elbow feel worse after playing pickleball?

The tendon can remain sore after repeated paddle swings, so pain may become more noticeable after the game or later that evening.

Should I keep playing pickleball with tennis elbow?

If playing consistently brings your elbow pain back, continuing the same activity without allowing adequate recovery can make the problem persist.

Why does my tennis elbow keep coming back even after resting?

Rest can reduce your symptoms temporarily, but returning to the same repeated gripping and swinging before the tendon has recovered can trigger another flare-up.

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.