Lateral elbow pain or pain on the top of your elbow is a condition in which this area becomes sore and tender. Pickleball elbow is an overuse injury that can also be caused by knitting, gardening, scooping ice cream and anything else you do using your wrist in a repetitive motion. The pain can be so great that you cannot lift a coffee cup, carry a purse or pull laundry out of the washing machine. Improper form hitting a backhand allowing the wrist to “snap” or “flick” or hitting from your elbow instead of hitting from your shoulder can be the reason for this issue. Once you have cured your problem returning to an improper hitting technique will only bring the symptoms on again. Consult a Pickleball instructor to learn a better way to hit your backhand.
There are several treatments you can try when you have pickleball elbow: ice, anti-inflammatories, massage the muscles attached to the tendons that run across your elbow bone, wear an elbow band to secure the muscle so it doesn’t move and KT tape the area (Google tennis elbow and KT taping procedures). Unfortunately, you might need to decrease your amount of play and actually rest your arm. Here are two stretches you can do daily to improve your condition.