Sore After Pickleball? Start Here

Played three games, then stayed for three more?
Here's how to feel ready for tomorrow's open play.

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A tennis pro's take on pickleball soreness

I've taught tennis for more than 20 years, and these days a lot of my students play pickleball too. The game looks easy on the body, but it's lots of short, quick stops, lunges at the kitchen line and wrist and forearm work on every dink. Most people also play a lot more games than they planned. That's why you feel it in your shoulders, forearms, knees and lower back the next morning.

4 things that help

1. Warm up before the first game. Five minutes of easy dinking, side shuffles and arm circles. Don't make your first real shot an overhead.

2. Loosen your grip. On a scale of 1 to 10, hold the paddle around a 4. A death grip on every dink is what wears out your forearm.

3. Bend your knees, not your back. Get low with your legs for those kitchen balls instead of reaching down from the waist.

4. Take care of the sore spots after you play. Walk for a couple of minutes, stretch, drink water, and rub in a pain relief cream that night. Here's my full 5-minute post-match routine.

Why players keep Active 10 in their bag

Active 10 is a cooling-then-warming cream with menthol, capsaicin and magnesium. It's for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains of muscles and joints associated with simple backache, arthritis, strains, bruises and sprains. It rubs in clean, isn't greasy and won't stain your clothes, so you can put it on and head to lunch.

• 4 oz tube: the one most players start with. Buy 1, get 2 free this month.
• 3 oz roll-on: no mess, easy to reach your shoulders and back. Fits in a paddle bag.
• 8 oz pump: our best value size to keep at home.

Quick questions

When should I put it on?
Most players use it after they play and again before bed. Follow the directions on the label.

Is it greasy?
No. It goes on cool, warms up, and rubs in clean.

Anything I shouldn't do?
Don't use it on wounds or irritated skin, don't wrap the area tightly, and don't use it with a heating pad. If it gets worse or lasts more than 7 days, stop and see a doctor.

Play tennis too? Read my tennis pro's guide to soreness after tennis: elbow, shoulder, back and calves.

Off the court? Read my guides to a sore back after yard work, sore legs after hiking and a sore back after shoveling snow.

For external use only. Read the product label for Drug Facts, directions and warnings before use.