Stress Point for Recreational Athletes

Pickleball is popular. But rapid rallies and prolonged play have overworked the elbow joint. How does one do it right?

- DR SUPREETH D R

Pickleball, the high-speed sport that takes its cue from tennis, badminton, and table tennis, has enjoyed a meteoric rise, particularly among seniors and recreational athletes. With it, however, has come a less well-known but prevalent overuse injury: pickleball elbow.

Pickleball elbow is a name applied to lateral epicondylitis or irritation that attaches forearm muscles to the lateral side of the elbow. It is equivalent to tennis elbow, a disease that strikes the same spot, and golfer's elbow, which strikes the medial elbow. The variation, however, is in the sport and the population it strikes.

Repetitive wrist extension and swinging in pickleball, frequently without warm-up, causes stress on the elbow's extensor tendons. In contrast to tennis, which involves professional practice or athletic conditioning, pickleball is frequently played recreationally by older or inexperienced players who have not developed the muscular resistance or movement literacy needed to withstand the rate and rhythm of arm movement.