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The Shoulder: Improve Pickleball Play and Prevent Injury

Writer's picture: SerendipityPTWSerendipityPTW



Shoulder pain and injuries are one of the most common issues that pickleball players deal with. Given how heavily players rely on their shoulders during each game, it’s no surprise!


While there are many different structures that can become injured or painful in the shoulder, and no two issues are alike, I want to go over some of the best things that you can do to keep your shoulder working at its best out on the courts.


1. Keep Up Your Flexibility


From forehands, backhands, overhead shots, and beyond, pickleball play requires a ton of shoulder mobility. If your shoulder has areas of tightness and you’re trying to rapidly move through that to hit a ball, you’re more likely to experience ‘pinching’ pains or abnormal movement patterns that could lead to an injury.


If the shoulder is very tight or already has pain, getting help may be necessary to get the improvement that you’re looking for. However, for many players, doing basic stretches before a game can be effective enough to both improve quality of play and prevent issues.


While all shoulder stretching is good, players should really be focusing on the movements that they use during a game. Making sure that you’ve loosened up to the point that your shoulder can turn, raise, and extend fully is important.


2. The Torso and Shoulder Blade are Important!


Did you know that only about 2/3 of your shoulder motion comes from your shoulder itself?


The other third comes from the shoulder blade, and its relationship with the ribcage and upper spine. This is actually extremely important, because it means that having tightness or weakness in the spine or shoulder blade can reduce your motion, impact your play, and make the shoulder more susceptible to injury. There are a lot of reasons why someone may develop a tight or weak torso and shoulder blade, but the easiest thing to look at and change is your posture. Keeping your shoulders rounded or having a slouched posture will ‘lock up’ the motion of the shoulder in a way that will directly weaken your game and put more stress on structures such as your rotator cuff, shoulder ligaments, and the overall joint.


Working on strengthening your shoulder blade (rotator cuff muscles) and fixing any issues with posture will take time, but will have a drastic impact on your shoulder health and your pickleball performance.


3. Be Aware of Your Form and Fatigue


There are nearly endless ways in which a person can use poor body mechanics during pickleball play, and over time these issues in form can turn into an injury.


Some of the most common things that I see that can impact shoulder function involve ‘hiking’ the shoulder, rotating the shoulder inwards, straining the neck, and overreaching for shots instead of relying on body positioning. It’s true that many of these problems are quite a bit more common in newer pickleball players, but it’s something that I also observe when more seasoned players begin to get fatigued. Whether a player is truly at the point of muscle exhaustion or is becoming ‘sluggish’ under the heat of the Florida sun, a loss of form is a good sign that it’s time to take a rest break or end your play for the day. Because it can be quite difficult to maintain good vigilance of your form and body mechanics during a game, it’s even better if you have a supportive teammate who can point these things out to you. Since they can clearly see everything that you’re doing, your partner is likely going to notice diminishing form more quickly than you will.


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Those are all the tips for today’s topic. While there is no secret that will prevent injury 100% of the time, these three tips will minimize the risk and help to ensure that you’re able to play your best games. I hope that you’re able to use them to help elevate your game to the next level.

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As the owner of Serendipity Physical Therapy and Wellness, I’m an avid pickleball addict in Naples, Florida, with a goal of keeping pickleball players moving at their best and injury free. I work with players for anything ranging from reducing shoulder pain, weakness, or tightness, to helping with injury prevention, proper conditioning, and good technique.


If you’re new, you can check out more of my advice and content here: https://www.serendipityptw.com/blog.


If there is anything I can help you with or you have questions, please give me a call at (239) 232-8155, or send me an email at Contact@SerendipityPTW.com. I would love to see how I can help get you moving at your best!


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