Playing Pickleball

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Certain issues, including wrist pain, can develop from trying a new activity. Our Certified Hand Therapist tells you how to avoid wrist injuries while playing the sport of pickleball.

Pickleball has become a well-known sport in the past five years. Besides the occasional broken bone from a fall while playing the sport, I have seen a handful of patients developing wrist issues when starting out with this activity. More specifically, the pain developed has been on the radial (thumb side) of the wrist. These patient are developing what is called a tenosynovitis from holding and swinging their paddles. While this can sound similar to a tendonitis issue, it is quite different. Tenosynovitis is swelling or
inflammation that develops between the tendon and sheath that surrounds the tendon. The wrist pain that pickleball players are having is most likely from the grip on their paddle or the snapping of the wrist when they hit. The two tendons that extend the thumb are becoming irritated through a compartment that houses them on the radial side of the wrist. This causes rubbing, pain, and eventual swelling in the wrist and up into the forearm.

A simple test for this is to bend your thumb downward, wrap your fingers around your thumb into a fist, and deviate your wrist toward your little finger side (also called Finkelstein’s Test). If this is painful, you have a positive sign for this type of radial tenosynovitis. Left untreated, with continued irritation, this simple issue can lead to a chronic issue and something more difficult to get rid of.

Finkelstein Test

Here are some ways to avoid wrist injuries while playing pickleball:

  1. Relax your grip on the paddle while playing.
  2. If you tend to have the thumb straight out on the paddle handle instead of wrapped
    around, this can cause more irritation.
  3. Wrist bracing or Kinesio taping can help reduce irritation while you play. I am happy to show you how to do this in a 10-15 minute visit.
  4. If these steps are not enough, give us a call to get a proper diagnosis and treatment for your specific pain or injury. We’ll do our absolute best to get you back on the court quickly! 320.335.2515
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Amos Hartsell

Amos is the owner and provider at Alexandria Rehabilitation. Amos has vast expertise in traumatic hand injury rehab as well as common repetitive work-related and general injuries.
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