Padel is no longer just a niche sport for Spanish holiday resorts. According to LTA Padel, it is the world’s fastest growing sport and Britain has certainly caught the bug, with 1,553 padel courts available across 559 venues and 860,000 people playing padel at least once in the last year. Wolverhampton is no exception, and if you have not already picked up a padel racket, chances are someone in your social circle has.
It is easy to see the appeal. Padel is social, accessible to everyone, and enormous fun. But it makes significant demands on your body and because it feels less intense than tennis, players often underestimate the physical toll until something feels wrong.
Why Padel Is Harder on Your Body Than It Looks
Padel involves constant sideways movement, rapid changes of direction, explosive core rotation, and repeated overhead strokes. The enclosed nature of a padel court encourages longer rallies, demanding more sustained output than most players expect. Your spine, shoulders, elbows and knees are working hard throughout, and without adequate recovery, the repetitive nature of the sport can catch up quickly.
Understanding Padel Injuries
It has been estimated that between 40–70% of padel players sustain at least one injury per year.
The most common padel injuries that we see at Wolverhampton Chiropractic Clinic include:
Lateral Epicondylitis (Padel Elbow – also known as Tennis Elbow) – The way the wrist makes quick, sharp movements places repetitive stress on the lateral elbow, causing a common overuse injury in padel players, leading to pain and discomfort. Padel rackets that are too heavy for the player and a wrist-heavy technique both contribute to this issue.
Shoulder Impingement and Tendinopathy – Repeated overhead shots, smashes and fast rotational swings place stress on the shoulder, leading to issues with the rotator cuff and increased load on the shoulder joint, increasing shoulder strain over time with continued play.
Lower Back Pain – The rotational demands of padel load the lumbar spine heavily. Coupled with a crouched player position, players who lack thoracic mobility and have weaker core muscles compensate by over-rotating lower down.
Knee Pain – Quick side-to-side movements and fast direction changes place high demands on the knee, along with movements such as lunging or squatting, often combined with inadequate footwear, leading to the onset of knee pain.
Ankle Sprain – The feet and ankles are placed under pressure in padel due to reactive play and the unpredictable nature of the bounces off the glass court, which can lead to stretching or tearing ligaments that support the ankle.
The Pattern Behind Most Padel Injuries
Padel injuries develop due to a number of factors, such as inadequate warm-up routines, muscular imbalances and poor fitness levels, lack of mobility work and stretching, poor balance and co-ordination, and inappropriate equipment and footwear.
How Can Chiropractic Care Help with Padel Injuries and Prevention?
Chiropractic care is a very effective way of not only managing padel injuries, but also preventing them from occurring too. Chiropractic treatment uses a wide range of techniques and modalities to take a non-invasive, holistic approach, with the aim to:
- Improve movement, co-ordination, and joint mobility
- Increase flexibility and range of motion
- Encourage faster, natural recovery
- Reduce tension and discomfort
- Prevent injury
Book an Assessment at Wolverhampton Chiropractic Clinic
Whether you are nursing a padel injury or want to make sure your body can keep up with your new favourite sport, we are here to help. Our multi-disciplinary team will provide you with an assessment and create a tailored plan of care to help you take control of the padel court.
📍 Wolverhampton Chiropractic Clinic
72 Lane Green Road, Codsall, Wolverhampton WV8 1LX
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