If it feels like every second conversation in Dubai this year has somehow turned into a debate about padel versus pickleball, you are not imagining it. What was a niche pastime just a few years ago has turned into one of the most talked-about ways to stay active in the city, with new courts opening from Business Bay to Dubai Hills to the Palm. Search interest in padel alone has climbed dramatically over the past few years, and pickleball is now following the same trajectory with its own dedicated clubs opening across Dubai.
We are genuinely glad to see it. Racket sports are social, competitive, and a great way to stay fit without it feeling like a chore. But we are also starting to see the other side of this boom walk through our doors: players who picked up a paddle for the first time this year and are now dealing with elbow pain, sore shoulders, tight backs, or an ankle that gave way mid-rally.
This is not a reason to stop playing. It is a reason to understand what your body is actually being asked to do out there, and how to prepare for it properly.
WHY THESE SPORTS ARE HARDER ON THE BODY THAN THEY LOOK
gentler, and you can be playing a competitive rally within your first session. That accessibility is exactly why so many people are picking them up in their thirties, forties, and fifties, often after years of a more sedentary routine.
The catch is that both sports demand a lot in a short space of time: quick lateral movement, sudden stops and changes of direction, repeated overhead and underarm swinging motions, and long periods on a hard court. If your body has not done much of that recently, it is easy to ask more of a joint or tendon than it is ready for.
THE INJURIES WE SEE MOST OFTEN
Padel elbow and pickleball elbow. This is essentially the same overuse pattern as tennis elbow, caused by repeated gripping and swinging, and it is one of the most common complaints we hear from new players. It tends to show up as a dull ache on the outside of the elbow that gets worse with racket use and, left unaddressed, can become a persistent problem rather than a passing niggle.
Shoulder strain. Overhead shots and smashes place real load on the shoulder, particularly for players who have not done any shoulder-specific conditioning in years.
Ankle sprains. The quick side-to-side movement and sudden stops on both padel and pickleball courts are a common cause of rolled ankles, especially for players wearing the wrong footwear for the surface.
Lower back tightness. The rotational movement involved in both sports, combined with long periods standing and bending on a hard court, often brings out an existing lower back issue that had been quietly manageable until now.
Knee and Achilles overload. Lateral lunging and rapid direction changes put real strain through the knee and the Achilles tendon, particularly in players who have skipped a proper warm-up.
If any of that sounds familiar, you are far from alone, and none of it means you need to give up the sport you have just started to enjoy.
PREVENTION STARTS BEFORE YOU EVER STEP ON COURT
A few genuinely useful habits go a long way:
- Warm up properly. Five minutes of dynamic movement, footwork drills, and light swinging before you play prepares the muscles and joints for what is coming, rather than asking them to switch on cold.
- Wear the right shoes. Court shoes built for lateral movement provide the support that running shoes simply are not designed for.
- Build in strength work between sessions. A small amount of targeted conditioning for the shoulder, forearm, and lower body each week meaningfully reduces the load on those areas during play.
- Progress gradually. If you are new to the sport, resist the urge to play three sessions in your first week. Let your body adapt.
- Listen to soreness versus pain. General muscle fatigue after a match is normal. Sharp pain, swelling, or anything that lingers for more than a couple of days is worth having looked at.
THE BRACE: THE HARDEST PART OF THE JOURNEY
I want to be honest about this, because I have seen it from both sides, as a parent and as someone who works in healthcare. And because what I am about to share is not the standard clinical advice. It is what we actually did.
The standard recommendation for bracing is typically 18 hours a day. For many children and teenagers, that is the clinical gold standard. But for my daughter, it was not going to work. She was not willing to wear a brace to school, and I had to make a decision: fight that battle every single day and risk it consuming her mental health and our relationship, or find another way.
We went against the doctor’s recommendation. We had two custom braces made, an overcorrective night-time brace designed to work harder while she slept, and a daytime brace for the hours outside school when we could be consistent without the social pressure and distress that school would have created. We were vigilant and strict with the night time brace. We maximised the daytime hours where we could. And we were honest with ourselves that protecting her mental health was part of the treatment plan, not in conflict with it.
I am not saying this is the right approach for every child. It may not be right for yours. What I am saying is that there is sometimes more flexibility in how you meet the clinical goal than a single protocol suggests, and that the conversation with your clinical team about what is actually sustainable for your family is one worth having openly.
Adolescents are acutely aware of their bodies and acutely aware of being different. A brace affects what they can wear, how they feel about themselves, and how they move through the world. The emotional adjustment takes time, for your child and for you. There will be days when they refuse. There will be days when they are distressed. That is real and it is valid, and it does not mean the process is failing.
What I can tell you is that time genuinely helps. The brace that feels impossible in week two becomes routine by month three. The body adapts. The child adapts. And when the results come, when the numbers hold or improve, that is when they begin to trust the process.
WHEN IT IS TIME TO SEE SOMEONE
This is something our team sees every week, and getting to the bottom of it usually does not take long. A proper assessment can identify exactly what is going on, whether that is an overloaded tendon, a joint that needs some hands-on treatment, or a movement pattern that is quietly putting you at risk of a bigger problem down the line.
At UPANDRUNNING, our physiotherapy, osteopathy, and podiatry teams work with padel and pickleball players across all five of our Dubai locations, including our team based at Studio Republik and Emirates Golf Club. Whether it is a stubborn case of padel elbow, a rolled ankle, or a gait issue that a custom orthotic could resolve, we will give you a clear picture of what is going on and a plan to get you back on court.
If something has been nagging at you since your last match, it is worth getting looked at now rather than waiting for it to become a bigger problem.
Call 04 518 5400, WhatsApp 04 343 9391, or visit upandrunningdubai.com.
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