Padel and Physiotherapy: How to Stay Injury-Free on the Court
08 December 2025
The rapid growth of padel has brought new challenges for active players — especially in amateur and recreational settings. A recent review found that injury prevalence in padel ranged between 40 %–95 % with a match incidence around 8 injuries per 1,000 matches. At TA Physio, we offer specialist physiotherapy and prevention programmes designed for padel players — from shoulder and elbow strains to ankle and back injuries — so you can keep playing without interruption.
Why Padel Players Injured?
Padel is characterised by rapid lateral movements, explosive smashes, frequent overhead shots and short-court reactive play. The unique demands lead to high injury risk: for example, one study found professional padel players had an injury incidence of approximately 10.5 injuries per 1,000 matches for men and 15.1 per 1,000 matches for women. Upper-limb injuries (elbow, shoulder) feature heavily, with one study showing the elbow as the most common anatomical injury site in padel.
Injury Prevention & Movement Screening.
Movement analysis, technique review, and load-monitoring form the backbone of prevention in padel. We incorporate:
- Warm-up routines with shadow drills (mimic forehands, backhands, overheads)
- Strength programmes focused on rotator cuff, shoulder girdle, core and lower-limb stability
- Biomechanical assessment to detect inefficient patterns (e.g., shoulder overreach, footwork faults)
Studies emphasise that prolonging rallies and repetitive smashes without proper preparation increase shoulder/tendon risk. Selecting appropriate footwear and managing lateral loads also alters injury severity.
Physio Care & Rehabilitation.
If prevention fails, early physiotherapy intervention is critical. At TA Physio we provide:
- Soft-tissue work and manual therapy to manage tendinopathy
- Progressive loading for healing tendons and muscles
- Return-to-play testing tailored to padel — side-steps, overhead serves, reactive split-step
Rehabilitating within padel-specific movement context yields better outcomes than generic programmes.
Stay ahead of padel-injury risk with a clinic that understands the sport’s demands. Contact TA Physio for a Padel Injury Prevention & Physio Assessment and play confidently this season.
References:
- Dahmen J, et al. Incidence, prevalence and nature of injuries in padel. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2023.
- Belmar-Arriagada H, et al. Padel related injuries: prevalence and characteristics in amateur players. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2025.
- Pérez F, et al. Musculoskeletal injury prevalence in professional padel. Journal of Science & Medicine in Sport. 2023.