Home / Sore Knees After Pickleball? A Tennis Pro's Guide

Sore Knees After Pickleball? A Tennis Pro's Guide

When I started teaching tennis more than 20 years ago, the most common complaint from my adult players was the elbow. Now that half of them play pickleball too, it's the knees. "My knees are killing me after open play" is the text I get most on a Monday morning, usually from someone who played four hours on Sunday and felt great doing it.

Pickleball looks easy on the body. The court is small and nobody is sprinting corner to corner. But the way most people move on a pickleball court asks a lot of the knee. Here's what I see when students tell me their knees are sore, the changes I have them make, and what I tell them to do once they're off the court. Almost all of it applies to doubles tennis players too.

Why pickleball is hard on the knees

Three things add up.

Short, sudden stops. Pickleball is mostly quick lunges, split-steps and stops within a few feet of the kitchen line. Every one of those stops is your thigh muscles braking your body weight over a bent knee. In tennis you build up speed and slow down over a few steps. In pickleball you lunge, stop, and lunge again, hundreds of times in an afternoon.

Reaching low instead of getting low. The ball is low and slow at the kitchen. Most players bend at the waist and reach with the paddle, or they drop straight down onto one bent knee with the knee drifting in over the toes. Either way the front of the knee takes the strain.

Hard courts and lots of hours. Most pickleball is played on concrete or asphalt, often for three or four hours of open play. A lot of my players went from one tennis match a week to pickleball five days a week. Knees adapt to more play, but they don't adapt that fast.

Where it usually hurts

Front of the knee, around or under the kneecap. The most common one. It usually comes from lots of lunging and stopping with the thigh muscles doing all the braking, and from dinking in a deep, static squat.
Inside of the knee. Often from the knee caving inward on lunges to the forehand side, or from pivoting on a planted foot.
Back of the knee and calves. Tight calves and hamstrings after a long day on hard courts, especially in players who stay up on their toes the whole time.
General stiffness the next morning. The classic "I played too long" ache that eases once you get moving.

That last kind, a dull ache that's worse when you first get up and better once you're warm, is ordinary next-day soreness. It's what this page is about. Sharp pain, swelling, or a knee that locks or gives way is a different story, and I cover that further down.

Six things I change with my students

1. Bend at the hips, not just the knees

The best kitchen players look athletic, not crouched. Feet a little wider than your shoulders, hips pushed back like you're about to sit on a tall stool, chest up, weight on the balls of your feet. When the hips share the load, the knees don't have to do all of it. If you feel the front of your thighs burning after ten minutes of dinking, you're probably squatting with your knees and not your hips.

2. Step to the ball, don't lunge at it

The big lunge for a wide dink is where most sore knees come from. Two small steps beat one big lunge almost every time. Get there early, set your feet, then hit. If you have to lunge, point your front foot toward where you're stepping and keep the knee lined up over your second toe, not caving in.

3. Use the split-step, but keep it small

A split-step as your opponent hits gets you balanced, and balanced players don't make panic lunges. But I see players jumping a foot in the air on every shot and landing stiff-legged. Keep it a tiny hop, land soft on the balls of your feet with the knees slightly bent, and go.

4. Don't pivot on a planted foot

Court shoes grip hard courts well, which is good, until you twist your body over a foot that's stuck to the ground. Let the foot turn with you. On a backhand or a sharp change of direction, pick the foot up and step around instead of grinding on it.

5. Wear court shoes, and replace them

Running shoes are built to go forward. On a pickleball court you move side to side, and a soft, tall running shoe lets the foot roll over and the knee follow it. Wear a tennis or pickleball shoe with a flat, wide sole. And replace them when the tread on the forefoot is worn smooth. For players on court four or five days a week, that's often every few months.

6. Build up your hours, and take days off

The most common pattern I see: a new player falls in love with the game and goes from a couple of hours a week to a couple of hours a day. I tell players to add time gradually, put a rest day after any day longer than two hours, and split long open-play mornings into games with breaks between them. Sit out a game every so often. Your knees will let you play more weeks this way, not fewer.

A 5-minute knee warm-up

Do this before you play, especially on a cold morning. Most people walk from the car straight into a game.

Walk or easy jog around the court for a minute.
Ten slow bodyweight squats, hips back, knees over the toes.
Ten side shuffles each way along the baseline, staying low.
Five gentle walking lunges each leg, short steps.
Ten calf raises, then a few easy split-steps in place.
Dink for a few minutes before anyone starts driving the ball.

After you play

A little stiffness the next morning is normal after a longer day than usual. Here's what I do and what I tell my students:

Walk for five minutes before you sit in the car. Going straight from three hours of play to a 30-minute drive is a recipe for stiff knees.
Stretch your thighs, hamstrings and calves, 30 seconds each, no bouncing.
Drink water and eat something with protein.
Take the next day easy. A walk or an easy bike ride usually feels better than sitting all day.
Twice a week, off the court, do some simple leg strength: sit-to-stands from a chair, step-ups on a low step, side-lying leg raises and calf raises. Strong hips and thighs are the best thing you can do for your knees. My 60- and 70-year-old players who do this play the most.

Where a cream fits in

I'll be upfront: I make a pain relief cream, so I'm biased. But I use it myself after long days on court, and a topical pain reliever has a real place here. It doesn't replace anything above. It helps you feel better on the day after.

Active 10 is for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains of muscles and joints associated with simple backache, arthritis, strains, bruises and sprains. We make it with menthol, capsaicin and magnesium. It goes on cool, then warms, and it rubs in without a greasy feel or a locker-room smell.

For knees, most of my players use the 4 oz tube at home after a long day, or the 3 oz roll-on, which goes on without getting cream on your hands and fits in your paddle bag. Rub it around the front and sides of the knee and into the thigh above it, then wash your hands.

Follow the Drug Facts label. Don't use it on broken or irritated skin, don't wrap the knee tightly with a bandage over it, don't use it with a heating pad, and keep it away from your eyes.

When to stop and get it checked

Normal soreness is a dull ache that eases as you warm up and fades in a day or two. Stop playing and see a doctor or physical therapist if:

you felt a pop, or the pain started suddenly on one movement;
the knee swells, especially within a few hours of playing;
it locks, catches, or gives way under you;
you can't put full weight on it, or you can't straighten it all the way;
the pain wakes you at night, or it isn't better after about a week of easing off.

Playing through those only makes the time off longer.

Common questions

Should I wear a knee brace for pickleball?

Some players like a light sleeve for warmth and the feeling of support. That's fine, but it isn't a fix for how you move. If the cause is lunging and squatting with the knees instead of the hips, the soreness comes back. Fix the footwork first and ask a physical therapist about a brace if your knee needs real support.

Is pickleball worse for your knees than tennis?

Not necessarily. Tennis has more running, pickleball has more quick stops and low, static positions. What hurts knees in both is the same: too many hours too soon, poor footwork, worn-out shoes and weak hips and thighs. Players who fix those usually play either sport for years.

Should I ice or use heat after pickleball?

Players have their own preferences, and both are common. Many of my students like something cool right after a long day and warmth the next morning when they're stiff. Just don't combine a heating pad with a topical cream like Active 10, and if the knee is swollen, get it looked at.

How long should I wait before playing again?

If it's ordinary next-day soreness, an easy day or a shorter session focused on dinking is usually fine. If it's still sore after two or three days of easy play, take more time off and get it checked.

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Darrin Cohen is a tennis pro with more than 20 years of teaching and the founder of Active 10. This page is general information, not medical advice. Read the product label for Drug Facts, directions and warnings before use.