5 Most Common Padel Injuries
(And How to Prevent Them)

1Padel elbow (lateral epicondylitis)

Why it happens: repetitive wrist-extensor loading on backhands and net volleys, often combined with a head-heavy racket, a too-small grip, or stiff strings. After 4–10 weeks of regular play, the common extensor tendon at the outside of the elbow starts to break down faster than it can repair.

Symptoms: pain on the outer elbow, tender to press, worse on backhand, aches when lifting a kettle or jar.

Prevention:

• Racket weight: 350–365 g for most amateurs. Avoid 380 g+.
• Get the grip size measured — most beginners use one too small.
• Two short eccentric wrist sessions a week (3 × 15 reps with a light dumbbell or resistance band).
• Limit yourself to 2–3 matches a week if you're new — the tendon needs 48 hours between sessions.

👉 Full guide: Padel Elbow — Pain of the Month June 2026

2Shoulder pain (rotator-cuff impingement)

Why it happens: overhead smashes and high volleys load the rotator cuff in a position desk-bound shoulders aren't ready for. Combine months of typing and rounded shoulders with a sudden burst of overhead racket sport, and the supraspinatus tendon gets caught between the humeral head and the acromion every time you serve.

Symptoms: ache on top or front of the shoulder, worse on overhead reach, hurts to put on a jacket or reach into a back pocket.

Prevention:

• Ten minutes of rotator-cuff strength a week — band external rotations, scapular retractions, prone Y-T-W raises.
• Spend 2 minutes mobilising the thoracic spine before play (cat-cow + thoracic rotations).
• Don't go straight into smashes from cold. Build up over the first 10 minutes.
• If your overhead serve hurts more than the rest of your game, drop it for two weeks and rebuild gradually.

3Knee pain (patellofemoral & meniscus irritation)

Why it happens: padel involves constant lateral movement, sudden stops, low lunges to dig out balls off the back wall, and pivoting on a hard sticky surface. Older players, or anyone with weak glutes, see this loading translate into knee complaints — particularly on the leading leg.

Symptoms: ache around or behind the kneecap, worse going downstairs or after sitting, occasional sharp catch on twisting.

Prevention:

• Glute med strength is the highest-yield investment — clamshells, lateral band walks, single-leg bridges.
• Don't lock the knees on landing. Soft, slightly bent landing on every shot.
• Shoes matter: padel-specific shoes or stable court shoes; running shoes don't have the lateral support.
• If a knee niggle appears, drop the next session's intensity by half. Two days of reduced load now beats four weeks off later.

4Lower-back stiffness

Why it happens: low balls off the back wall, plus the rotation of every backhand and topspin shot, load the lumbar spine in flexion and rotation simultaneously. On a desk-conditioned spine that hasn't done much rotation since school sports, this lights up quickly.

Symptoms: dull stiffness across the lower back, worse the day after a match, eases with movement, occasional one-sided ache after twisting shots.

Prevention:

• Daily 5-minute mobility: cat-cow, supine spinal twists, hip flexor stretches.
• Strengthen the deep core — dead bugs, side planks, bird dogs. Two short sessions a week.
• Don't reach for balls off the back wall with a fully extended back. Step in, drop the hip, and use the legs.
• If your back is stiff first thing in the morning before play, it's a sign to mobilise more, not push through.

5Ankle sprain

Why it happens: the most acute padel injury. Lateral cuts, sudden direction changes, occasional ball-under-foot incident — combined with shoes that lack lateral support — produce inversion sprains, particularly in the first season of play before the proprioceptive system has adapted.

Symptoms: immediate pain on the outside of the ankle after rolling it, swelling within an hour, difficulty bearing weight.

Prevention:

• Padel-specific or stable court shoes — not running shoes, not lifestyle trainers.
• Two minutes of single-leg balance work daily — eyes open, then closed. Builds proprioception fast.
• Strengthen the calves and peroneals — heel raises and inversion/eversion bands.
• If you've sprained an ankle before, expect re-sprain unless you've actively rehabbed it. The body forgets.