Pickleball Injury Prevention: Tips from a Physical Therapist Who's Also a Pro Player
Our guest for this edition's Tips section is Jennifer Gallwas — a physical therapist and senior professional pickleball player, who shares these tips with us for preventing the most common injuries in the sport.
"I am a pro pickleball player and a physical therapist, and I would much rather see you on the court than in my clinic," Jennifer says. Here are the tips she uses herself, and shares with her patients, to stay strong and stay in the game.
The three injuries she sees most often in her clinic and among fellow players are: knee pain, low back pain, and tennis elbow.
Knee Pain
Pickleball requires hitting low shots in a flexed position for the length of the match, which creates constant stress on the knees. Strengthening the legs, hips, and glutes helps absorb those compressive forces so the knees don't have to do it alone.
Band Walk:
Loop a resistance band around your legs, either above the knees or around your feet.
Sidestep while keeping tension on the band, with no rocking side to side. Shift your weight into your heels.
Start with one minute and increase time or resistance as you get stronger.
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Keep a band somewhere you'll actually see it — your office, living room, by the front door — so it becomes part of your routine, and make sure to keep one in your pickleball bag to use as part of your warm-up before you play.
Low Back Pain
At the kitchen line, your feet are planted while you reach forward to hit a ball out of the air. That combination — bent forward, feet fixed — puts a lot of strain on your lower back. The safeguard is a strong core: your abs and glutes give your spine the stable base it needs to handle that reaching motion without stress on the low back. Tight hamstrings make things worse by adding extra stress. If you're having low back pain during or after a match, chances are your core needs more work.
Bridge: lie on your back with your knees bent. Engage your quadriceps, glutes, and abdominal muscles to lift your hips off the floor. You should not experience any low back pain — go slowly and perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps.
Plank: lift your body up on your elbows, contract your abdominals to keep your back from arching, shift your weight back into your heels. Hold this position while maintaining good form. Aim for 3 reps of 1 minute, increasing time as you improve.
Side Plank: on your side with stacked legs, lift your body up onto a bent elbow. This strengthens the core and gluteus medius (outer hip). Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, 3 reps on each side.
Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
A pattern Jennifer often sees: players who don't come from a racquet sport are the ones most likely to develop this injury. It's almost always overuse — the gripping muscles attach at the outer elbow bone, and repetitive strain there leads to irritation and inflammation. In fact, overuse is the leading cause of most pickleball injuries. People play day after day with no rest and frequently skip the off-court work — the strength and flexibility training — that keeps their joints properly supported.
Along with forearm and grip strength, a strong rotator cuff is essential to provide stability to the shoulder for proper stroke mechanics.
External Rotation with Scapular Retraction:
Stand tall with good posture: shoulders down and back.
Hold a light weight (1-5 lbs) with your shoulder lifted out to the side (abducted to 90 degrees).
Slowly rotate your arm down with your elbow bent. Return up while maintaining scapular retraction (shoulder blades pulled back).
Do not compensate with your neck. You should not feel any soreness in the front of your shoulder — if you hike your neck or feel pain, decrease the weight or discontinue.
Perform 2-3 sets of 10 reps.
Prevention Is Best — But What If You're Already Hurt?
Rest. It's free, anyone can do it, and your body will thank you for it. Ice, plus a brace or sleeve, can help too. If pain persists, consult an MD or physical therapist, who can evaluate the injury, identify deficiencies, and design a treatment plan specific to you.
"Here's the real takeaway," Jennifer closes. "Start now and make strength a priority. Being stronger doesn't just help your pickleball game — it makes everyday life easier, and it dramatically improves your odds of spending your time on the court instead of in a waiting room."
Our guest for this edition's Tips section is Jennifer Gallwas — a physical therapist and senior professional pickleball player, who shares these tips with us for preventing the most common injuries in the sport.
"I am a pro pickleball player and a physical therapist, and I would much rather see you on the court than in my clinic," Jennifer says. Here are the tips she uses herself, and shares with her patients, to stay strong and stay in the game.
The three injuries she sees most often in her clinic and among fellow players are: knee pain, low back pain, and tennis elbow.
Knee Pain
Pickleball requires hitting low shots in a flexed position for the length of the match, which creates constant stress on the knees. Strengthening the legs, hips, and glutes helps absorb those compressive forces so the knees don't have to do it alone.
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Band Walk:
Loop a resistance band around your legs, either above the knees or around your feet.
Sidestep while keeping tension on the band, with no rocking side to side. Shift your weight into your heels.
Start with one minute and increase time or resistance as you get stronger.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
Keep a band somewhere you'll actually see it — your office, living room, by the front door — so it becomes part of your routine, and make sure to keep one in your pickleball bag to use as part of your warm-up before you play.
Low Back Pain
At the kitchen line, your feet are planted while you reach forward to hit a ball out of the air. That combination — bent forward, feet fixed — puts a lot of strain on your lower back. The safeguard is a strong core: your abs and glutes give your spine the stable base it needs to handle that reaching motion without stress on the low back. Tight hamstrings make things worse by adding extra stress. If you're having low back pain during or after a match, chances are your core needs more work.
Bridge: lie on your back with your knees bent. Engage your quadriceps, glutes, and abdominal muscles to lift your hips off the floor. You should not experience any low back pain — go slowly and perform 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps.
Plank: lift your body up on your elbows, contract your abdominals to keep your back from arching, shift your weight back into your heels. Hold this position while maintaining good form. Aim for 3 reps of 1 minute, increasing time as you improve.
Side Plank: on your side with stacked legs, lift your body up onto a bent elbow. This strengthens the core and gluteus medius (outer hip). Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, 3 reps on each side.
Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
A pattern Jennifer often sees: players who don't come from a racquet sport are the ones most likely to develop this injury. It's almost always overuse — the gripping muscles attach at the outer elbow bone, and repetitive strain there leads to irritation and inflammation. In fact, overuse is the leading cause of most pickleball injuries. People play day after day with no rest and frequently skip the off-court work — the strength and flexibility training — that keeps their joints properly supported.
Along with forearm and grip strength, a strong rotator cuff is essential to provide stability to the shoulder for proper stroke mechanics.
External Rotation with Scapular Retraction:
Stand tall with good posture: shoulders down and back.
Hold a light weight (1-5 lbs) with your shoulder lifted out to the side (abducted to 90 degrees).
Slowly rotate your arm down with your elbow bent. Return up while maintaining scapular retraction (shoulder blades pulled back).
Do not compensate with your neck. You should not feel any soreness in the front of your shoulder — if you hike your neck or feel pain, decrease the weight or discontinue.
Perform 2-3 sets of 10 reps.
Prevention Is Best — But What If You're Already Hurt?
Rest. It's free, anyone can do it, and your body will thank you for it. Ice, plus a brace or sleeve, can help too. If pain persists, consult an MD or physical therapist, who can evaluate the injury, identify deficiencies, and design a treatment plan specific to you.
"Here's the real takeaway," Jennifer closes. "Start now and make strength a priority. Being stronger doesn't just help your pickleball game — it makes everyday life easier, and it dramatically improves your odds of spending your time on the court instead of in a waiting room."
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