Padel is a complete and demanding sport: explosive acceleration, repeated changes of direction, rotational hitting, constant footwork on hard ground… These constraints, accumulated over several sessions a week, eventually take their toll. But there’s no such thing as a fatality: the vast majority of common padel injuries can be avoided with the right preparation.
What has struck me over the years in working with padel and tennis players is that injuries almost never happen by accident. They set in gradually, preceded by warning signs that we ignore: a little pain after the match, stiffness in the morning, discomfort that “always passes”. Until the day it doesn’t.
Understanding why your body hurts is the first step towards preventing it.
There are several possible causes for these injuries:
- Muscular stiffness: a lack of flexibility increases stress on the joints, which must compensate for what the muscles cannot absorb.
- Lack of strength: insufficiently strengthened muscles expose joints to loads they are unable to tolerate on their own.
- Lack of stability: closely linked to strength, stability is required in very specific padel situations: changing direction, monopodal footwork, sudden braking. An unstable joint is a vulnerable joint.
- Volume overload: playing too often, too intensely, or increasing the volume of the game too quickly, doesn’t give the body time to adapt. This is often the silent cause that is detected too late.
- Chronic inflammation: a poorly adapted diet, high daily stress or insufficient sleep keep the body in a background state of inflammation, weakening tissues and slowing down their ability to retrieve.
5 must-know injuries
1. Lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow
Sharp pain on the outside of the elbow, often triggered by backstrokes, racket vibrations or simply after a long session. It affects the wrist’s extensor tendons, which are called upon with every stroke.
In padel, the feel in hand of the racket and the repetition of shots, especially the bandeja and the smash, generate considerable stress on this zone. Players who increase the volume of their game too quickly, or change racket without transition, are particularly at risk. Once established, this injury can become chronic if ignored.
Prevention: Strengthen forearm muscles (wrist flexors and extensors) with regular isolation exercises. Improves overall flexibility of the upper limb. A specific warm-up of the elbow and wrist before each session is non-negotiable; 3 minutes is enough to considerably reduce the risk.
2. Achilles tendinopathy and calf tear/strain
The Achilles tendon absorbs considerable loads during speed peaks, explosive starts and jump landings. Progressive overloading, often linked to too rapid an increase in the volume of the game, ends up irritating or even damaging it.
The calf, on the other hand, is subject to the same stresses and can give way abruptly during a sudden extension, particularly at the back of the court. This is often referred to as a “gunshot”: a sudden, intense pain in the calf, sometimes accompanied by a snapping sound. These two injuries share the same shortcomings: under-prepared muscles and tendons in the face of intensity.
Prevention: Eccentric calf training (slow relegations on a step, heel in the air) is one of the exercises you can use to keep your Achilles tendon healthy. Combine it with regular calf stretching and a gradual promotion of your game volume. Never neglect warming up your lower limbs before playing.
3. Ankle sprain
The most common of all padel injuries. Rapid changes of direction, lateral movements and repeated footwork on hard ground put the ankle at risk, especially when proprioception has never been trained.
What makes padel even more risky is the speed with which situations string together: sometimes you only have a few hundredths of a second to reposition your support. If your ankle lacks reflex stability, that ability to blow out automatically without you having to think about it, the risk of torsion is high. And a first sprain that is not properly rehabilitated often becomes a chronic sprain.
Prevention: Works on unipodal balance and ankle stabilization on an unstable plateau (or simply on the ground with your eyes closed). Proprioception is easy to train at home: just 5 minutes a day. Strengthening the peroneal muscles (outer side of the ankle) is also an excellent complement.
4. Shoulder conflict
Padel puts a great deal of strain on the shoulder, particularly during smashes, bandejas and overhead movements. Subacromial impingement, pain felt on the front or side of the shoulder when the arm is promoted, is common among regular players.
This conflict often reflects a muscular imbalance around the scapulohumeral joint: the anterior muscles (pectoralis major, front deltoid) are overdeveloped in relation to the posterior stabilizing muscles (rotator cuff, middle trapezius, rhomboids). This imbalance alters the mechanics of the shoulder, creating areas of repeated friction.
Prevention: Strengthens posterior shoulder muscles: external rotators (with elastic), middle and lower trapezius, rhomboids. Also work on thoracic mobility to enable the scapula to position itself correctly. And above all, don’t forget the rotator cuff in your schedule. It’s often neglected because it’s not very visible, but it’s essential.
5. Lower back pain
Repeated rotation of the trunk during hitting, combined with contract extension and sudden acceleration-deceleration, puts the lower back to a severe test. This injury affects all types of players, from beginners to advanced.
The main problem: in the absence of sufficient thoracic mobility, rotation is not distributed correctly throughout the spinal column. The lumbar region, less well equipped to absorb these rotational stresses, ends up compensating on its own. Add to this insufficient sheathing, and you have the perfect cocktail for chronic back pain.
Prevention: Strengthens the deep abdominal muscles with isometric (plank) and dynamic (anti-rotation) exercises. Work on thoracic mobility to free up rotation in the upper back. And remember to vary your stretching positions after the match – your lumbar vertebrae will thank you.
What all this has in common
All five injuries have a common underlying cause: tissues – muscles, tendons, joints – subjected to loads they are not sufficiently prepared to absorb. It’s a question of preparation.
The human body is extremely adaptable. Give it the right stimuli, at the right time, with the right progression, and it will become capable of taking on the demands of padel without flinching. Neglect this preparation, and every session becomes a form of Russian roulette with your physique.
A padel-specific physical preparation schedule doesn’t just make you stronger. It enables you to play more, play better and play longer.
I write regular articles to help you feel and perform better on the court.
And if you want to go further right now, I offer physical preparation reviews and schedules specifically designed for padel players, whatever your level.
I also give face-to-face sessions at Padel 1640.
Contact me if you’d like to talk about your practice and your goals.
