Padel Injuries: How to Stay Injury-Free

Padel is a sport that is taking the world by storm right now and most people will have either tried it or know someone who has picked up a padel and had a swing. There are courts popping up all over the country and it is now the fastest growing sport in the world. However, with that come more people playing and getting injured while playing. Therefore, to try and prevent this, this blog will have a look at some common padel injuries and some exercises that you can do to prevent them.

What is padel?

Padel was invented in Mexico in 1969, by a businessman who had a tennis court in his back garden surrounded by walls. This was then taken to Europe where they recreated the court, made the walls glass and the sports boomed.

It incorporates the style of tennis by hitting a ball over the net, the speed and rallies similar to that of badminton and then the use of walls like when playing squash. This combination creates a fast pace, fun and beginner friendly game.

The game is played usually by 4 players, 2 each side of the net. The aim is to hit the ball over the net and make sure the opponents can’t return it. It is a highly social game and has become a phenomenon in the recent years with many famous celebrities playing as well. It has become a great game for other athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafa Nadal, as well as pop star Shakira and even the Royal Family.

Padel Vs Pickleball

If padel seems a bit fast and crazy for you, another option is Pickleball. Pickleball is a slightly slower sport with a similar premise. Pickleball is played indoors over a lower net with no walls. The “pickle” part comes from the plastic whiffle ball that is used to still allow you to hit the ball hard but is more forgiving to catch. It is still played in doubles and is a super fun and social game, but just at a slightly slow speed. Great for those who can’t move as fast as they use to or want a slightly slower pace of play.

Common Padel Injuries

Although fun and social, padel like any other sport require movement and fitness. This can cause injuries occur if you are not prepared for it. Padel requires quick changes in direction and repeated movements in the shoulder when swinging the padel. Therefore, if you are new to the sports or have taken up playing more often to hone your game, some of these issues could happen.

Here are some of the most common problems physios see in Padel players.

• Tennis Elbow (Padel Elbow) – Caused by repeated gripping and racket swings, leading to irritation of the tendon around the outside of the elbow
• Shoulder Pain – Frequent overhead shots and smashes can overload the shoulder muscles and joints
• Calf Strains and Achilles Pain – Padel is fast and lots of sprinting, stopping, and changing direction in padel places a lot of stress on the calves and Achilles tendon
• Knee Pain – Quick twisting movements and lunging around the court can put extra pressure on the knees, especially if leg strength is lacking

What can you do to prevent this from happening?

There are a number of ways to prevent injuries in padel such as, effective warmups, playing with good technique and giving yourself adequate breaks when playing also. However one of the best ways to prevent injury is to strengthen the joints and muscles that get used the most. By strengthening the muscle, they become more resistant to the load they are put under and will help you stay stronger in long rallies and matches.

Below are four exercises that can help prevent injuries before they happen when playing padel.

• Lateral Band Walks/Crab Walks
  
  This is a great and easy exercise to help strengthen the glutes, abductors and quadriceps. These muscles are all used to control the hip and move you around the court.

  How to do it:

• • Place a resistance band around your knees or ankles
  • Slightly bend your knees, like you are about to go skiing
  • Step sideways slowly while keeping tension on the band
  • Then follow with your other foot
  • Take 10–15 steps each way

• Why it helps padel:
  
  Strong hips improve side-to-side movement and reduce stress on the knees during quick changes of direction.

• Single Leg Calf Raises

  Calf strength is really important to help sprinting and jumping. Crucial to taking your padel game to the next level.

  How to do it:

  • Stand on one leg, use support if you struggle with the balance
  • Raise your heels up as high as you can
  • Then slowly lower back down with control
  • Repeat 3 times for 10-15 reps on each leg
  • To make it harder, perform them on the edge of a step and let your heel drop as far down ad you can before pushing back up.

• Why it helps padel:This improves lower-leg strength and resilience for repeated explosive movement around the court.

• Shoulder External Rotations

  This exercise targets the small stabilising muscles of the shoulder, which are used during big overhead smashing shots.

  How to do it:

  • Attach a resistance band to a door handle or stable surface
  • Hold the other end and pull so there is some tension on the band
  • Raise your arm up to 90 degrees
  • Rotate your forearm outward slowly
  • Perform 3 times for 12–15 reps on each side
• 
  Why it helps padel:
  
  It improves shoulder stability and helps reduce risk of rotator cuff tears and tendinopathies.

• Split Squats

  Split squats help build single-leg strength, balance, and control in the knees and hips.

  How to do it:

  • Stand with one foot forward, flat, and one behind, on your toes
  • Lower slowly until both knees bend, try and make your back knee get as low as possible
  • Then push back up, keeping upright and stable
  • Repeat 3 times for 8-12 reps each side
• 
  Why it helps padel: 

  Padel involves lunging and pushing off one leg repeatedly and keeping a nice stable base when playing shots. This exercise improves this by strengthening the muscles around your knees and hips.

Should you play padel?

Padel is a brilliant game that is taking over every leisure centre and sports club. It is easy to see why! With a fun community, fast paced games and becoming more accessible than ever. And there are padel clubs and centre popping up everywhere to have a look near you to see where your closes club is.

Just like any sports even if you have been playing a while or you are just starting making sure your body is in the best shape and condition to play is really important. It can help prevent those injuries and can even help improve your technique so that the next time you play with your friends or family you can impress them with your new skills.

If you have felt any aches or pains from padel or any other sports or activity it is always important to go and get it checked out by a physio. We can assess you and take you through a comprehensive treatment plan so we can get you back onto courts, as soon as we can. Book an appointment online.