Why Does My Hip Hurt When I Hit A Backhand In Pickleball?

Your hip hurts as you hit a backhand in pickleball because repeated twisting and pushing off can leave the muscles and tendons around the hip tight, sore, and less able to handle another rotation.

You may feel perfectly fine while waiting for the serve, but the moment you rotate into a backhand your hip suddenly catches or aches. Sometimes the pain fades as you continue playing, only to return with the next hard backhand or later that evening when the joint starts to stiffen.

The backhand asks your hip to rotate, control your balance, and help transfer power into the shot. If those muscles have been working hard over multiple games, they can become tight and tired, making each twist feel less comfortable until even routine backhands begin to hurt.

The Twist Into The Backhand Makes The Hip Grab

You may notice the pain appears at the exact moment your body rotates.

The hip often feels fine during straight walking but complains as soon as you turn through the shot. Repeated rotation can leave the hip rotators and nearby muscles feeling tight, so each backhand pulls on the same area before it has a chance to recover.

The Hip Feels More Sore As The Match Goes On

You may find the first few backhands are comfortable before the pain gradually builds.

As the match continues, your hip muscles become more fatigued and less flexible. That can make your swing feel restricted, cause you to shorten your follow-through, or leave your hip aching after every hard return instead of just an occasional shot.

Why Your Hip Could Be Taking Longer To Heal

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

What Can Help Your Hip Feel Better

Your hip 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 same 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 hip only hurt during a backhand in pickleball?

The backhand combines rotation and weight transfer, which can stress tight or tired hip muscles more than other shots.

Should I stop playing if my hip hurts during every backhand?

If the pain keeps returning or changes the way you move, reducing activity and giving your hip time to recover is a sensible first step.

Why does my hip feel better after warming up?

Gentle movement often helps loosen tight muscles, but the discomfort may return if the area is repeatedly stressed during play.

Can poor recovery between games make hip pain last longer?

Yes. Playing again before the hip has recovered can make stiffness and soreness return more quickly during the next session.

When should I have hip pain checked by a healthcare professional?

Seek evaluation if the pain is severe, lasts despite rest, causes limping, or is accompanied by significant weakness or swelling.

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.