Pickleball Elbow - The New "Tennis Elbow"

The Elbow

For those with elbow pain already, if you're undiagnosed, this article is not meant to diagnose you. Go see a Doctor.

For everyone else, this article was made to give you some direction on keeping that elbow in Pickleball shape! 

How Does it Happen?

Pickleball Elbow is caused by repetitive motion and can be enhanced by poor form. 

The cause is often a technical issue. One potential contributing factor is poor back-hand technique because forces are transmitted through the muscles and tendons of the forearm.  

This is then made worse if your wrist is bent when striking the ball. While the ball is much lighter than a tennis ball, and the forces are significantly less, the repetitive motion along with the increased average age of Pickleball players still puts athletes at risk for damage to occur. 

Free Prevention Techniques

The good news is there is a free solution to try. 

• Try not overusing your joint with a repeated movement that can injure your tendon. For example, try alternate hands during activities. This will also throw off your competition and make you look like a Pro!
• Strengthening the muscles of your arm, shoulder, and upper back to help take stress off of your elbow. Wrist curls and reverse curls with a light hand weight are effective forearm-strengthening exercises. To perform wrist curls, hold the weight with the hand of the affected arm and then sit and rest your forearm on your thigh with the weight beyond the front of your knee. With your palm facing upward, bend your wrist and slowly curl the weight up as far as you comfortably can and then reverse your movement. For reverse curls, simply turn your hand over so your palm faces down and slowly raise and lower the weight with control. Perform each exercise 10 times. Another exercise simply involves squeezing a dead tennis ball 25 times. Repeat three times. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/212297-forearm-exercise-to-prevent-tennis-elbow/)

Paid Prevention Techniques

• Wearing a counterforce brace during activities that require grasping or twisting arm movements. Talk to your doctor if you are thinking of using one of these braces for prevention. I recommend buying one of these on Amazon (affiliate link) due to the low price and similarity between the products. 
• Have an experienced trainer or a trusted person who is familiar with sports equipment check yours to make sure it suits your level of ability, body size, and body strength. 

Whichever technique you choose, always play in moderation and don't do things your body can't handle. 

Thanks for reading and enjoy the game!

Justin

Sabu Sports

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Disclaimer: Advice in this article is not intended to be Medical Advice in any way. If you ever have questions about medical conditions the only credible source is a registered medical professional. 

Resources:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/tennis-elbow-prevention

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/elbow-pain/tennis-elbow/prevention-tennis-elbow

http://www.livestrong.com/article/212297-forearm-exercise-to-prevent-tennis-elbow/