PadelTennis Elbow in Padel: Causes, Prevention and What Helps
By Theo Diether · Published 24/07/2026 · 2 min read
Tennis elbow (medically epicondylitis) is one of the most common complaints among padel beginners, and not without reason. Here are the main causes, what you can do yourself to prevent it, and when you need to see a doctor.
Why padel so often hits the elbow
Two factors come together unfavourably in padel:
Vibrations without strings
Unlike in tennis, a padel racket has no strings to absorb part of the impact shock. The vibration of every hit goes more directly into your wrist and elbow.
Technique mistakes among beginners
Especially common: playing the backhand from the wrist alone, without involving your legs and upper body. That puts the whole load of the shot on one small group of forearm muscles instead of spreading it across the whole body.
Typical symptoms
Tennis elbow usually shows up as tenderness on the outside of the elbow, often with sharp pain during twisting and bending movements. The pain frequently radiates into the forearm or hand, along with a noticeable loss of grip strength (for example when shaking hands or pressing a door handle).
What you can do yourself to prevent it
Correct your grip technique
A tense or wrong grip puts extra strain on the forearm. The Continental Grip with a relaxed wrist between shots noticeably takes the load off.
Choose the right racket
A soft core, lower balance and moderate weight damp vibrations far more than a hard, head-heavy diamond racket.
Check your stroke technique
Ideally with a coach: play the backhand from the rotation of your legs and upper body, not just from the wrist. This reduces the strain on the elbow considerably.
Strengthen your forearm muscles
Regular, light strength training for forearm and wrist (for example with a resistance band) makes the tendons more resilient.
Plan for warm-up and recovery
As with any overuse injury, enough recovery between intense sessions helps. Padel quickly becomes an everyday routine, but especially at the start it is worth increasing how often you play slowly.
What to do if it already hurts
The good news: around 9 out of 10 cases respond well to conservative measures, with no surgery at all. Common first steps:
A break from loading
Without complete immobilisation. Movement within a pain-free range is usually better than total rest.
Physiotherapy
With targeted stretching and strengthening exercises.
Epicondylitis brace
To relieve the tendon attachment.
Cold or heat
Depending on the acute stage.
Important
This is not a substitute for a medical diagnosis. If the pain lasts longer than one to two weeks or gets worse, you should see a doctor or physiotherapist. Early treatment stops the complaint from becoming chronic.
Next step
If equipment plays a role: our Racket Finder takes arm problems directly into account as a criterion and recommends arm-friendly models, or you can go straight to the buying guide.