I Have Tennis Elbow and Playing Pickleball Makes My Elbow Hurt More the Longer I Play

If your tennis elbow gets more painful the longer you play pickleball, repeated gripping and hitting can keep stressing the tendon and make your elbow increasingly sore during play.

Playing pickleball can be especially noticeable when you already have tennis elbow because your hand and forearm stay active throughout the game. Gripping the paddle, returning shots, serving, and making repeated forehand or backhand movements all require the muscles attached to the outside of your elbow to keep working. If those tendons are already irritated or strained, continued play can make the elbow increasingly painful.

The main tendon involved in tennis elbow is the common extensor tendon, which connects several forearm muscles to the outside of the elbow. When this area is already struggling with repeated stress, the tendon may become less comfortable with continued activity, making each additional round of gripping and hitting harder on the elbow than it felt at the beginning of the game.

Repeated Paddle Gripping Keeps Stressing Your Elbow

Holding the pickleball paddle repeatedly keeps the forearm muscles working throughout the game.

Every time you grip the paddle and control it through a shot, the muscles on the back and outside of your forearm contract to help move and steady your hand. Those muscles attach near the outside of the elbow, so repeated gripping can keep pulling on the same area affected by tennis elbow. This is one reason your elbow may tolerate the first part of a game but become more painful as you continue.

The Pain Builds As Your Arm Gets Tired

As the game continues, fatigue can make the same repeated movements harder for your elbow to handle.

After repeated swings and paddle control, the forearm muscles can become tired, and you may find yourself gripping the paddle differently or using more effort to make the same shot. That continued demand can increase stress around the common extensor tendon, causing the pain to become more noticeable later in the game rather than right away. You may finish a session with an elbow that feels considerably more sore than it did when you started.

Why Your Elbow Hurts More 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 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 Tennis Elbow Hurt More the Longer I Play Pickleball?

Your elbow may hurt more as you play because repeated gripping and hitting continue to stress the tendon affected by tennis elbow.

Can Playing Pickleball Make Tennis Elbow Worse?

Yes. Repeated gripping, swinging, and paddle control can continue stressing the tendon and make your elbow pain more noticeable during and after play.

Why Does My Elbow Feel Better at the Start of Pickleball?

Your elbow may feel better initially because the area has not yet been exposed to repeated gripping and hitting. As activity continues, the pain can gradually increase.

Should I Keep Playing Pickleball If My Tennis Elbow Hurts?

If playing continues to increase your elbow pain, reducing or modifying the activity can help avoid repeatedly stressing the affected tendon.

How Can I Help My Tennis Elbow Recover After Pickleball?

Reducing repeated stress on your elbow and allowing the area to settle between activities can support recovery, while persistent or worsening pain should be evaluated by a 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.