If you're an avid pickleball player, then you know that it's an intense and rewarding sport. But it can also be hard on your body, especially in the arm area.
If you're not careful, you may end up with tennis elbow—an inflamed tendon in the elbow that causes pain and can put a damper on your pickleball fun. Don't worry though; there are plenty of ways to prevent tennis elbow in pickleball. Here's how!
Strengthen Your Forearms
One of the best ways to avoid tennis elbow is to strengthen the muscles in your forearms so they can better handle the intensity of playing pickleball. To do this, try incorporating some simple forearm exercises into your regular routine.
You could do wrist curls or reverse wrist curls with a light dumbbell, or even use a gripper device specifically designed for strengthening the grip and forearm muscles. Strengthening these muscles will help them withstand the repeated forceful movements that come with playing pickleball.
Warm Up Before Playing
No one wants to be "that person" who takes forever to stretch before playing any sport, but warming up is actually essential for preventing injury and helping your body adjust to physical activity more quickly.
So take five minutes before hitting the court and run through some dynamic stretches like arm circles, trunk twists, and side lunges to get your blood flowing and prevent muscle fatigue during play. Not only will this help stave off injuries like tennis elbow, but it could also help improve your performance!
Use Proper Technique
Making sure you’re using proper technique when playing any sport is key for avoiding injury—pickleball included! Make sure you’re using a proper grip on all shots—not too tight, not too loose—and use extra momentum from your lower body (i.e., hips) rather than just relying on your arms alone for power shots.
This will help distribute force more evenly throughout the body instead of just straining the arms and shoulders when swinging at balls or serving them over the net.
Use Protective Gear
Protective gear such as wrist braces or elbow pads can help protect against injury while playing pickleball by providing extra support for vulnerable areas like the wrists and elbows during strenuous activity. Wearing protective equipment can also help reduce pain after a game by giving your muscles something else to focus on instead of straining themselves further during vigorous movement.
Conclusion:
So there you have it! By following these tips around strengthening forearms muscles, warming up before play, and using proper technique during play, you can help keep yourself safe from tennis elbow while still enjoying all that pickleball has to offer.
Plus, these tips don't just apply to avoiding tennis elbow; they'll also help improve your game overall by making sure that every shot is as strong and effective as possible! Have fun out there!
Also, Choose A New Paddle
I have written an article: These Are The Best 6 Pickleball Paddles For Tennis Elbow (According To Experts) Here you can find. perhaps one piece of the puzzle in dealing with tennis elbow/pickleball elbow issues. Of course the best way to deal with pickleball elbow is to not to get it at all! And the best paddle for dealing with the issue to one way to start.