Pickleball Treatment Leaders in Glastonbury
The Hand Center is a leading destination for pickleball players across Connecticut seeking expert care for hand, wrist, and elbow injuries. Whether you play recreationally or competitively, our team is focused on helping you stay active, recover safely, and continue enjoying the game.
The fast pace of pickleball—with quick direction changes, repetitive paddle use, and sudden bursts of movement—can place significant stress on the hands, wrists, and elbows. These areas are especially vulnerable to overuse conditions, tendon injuries, sprains, and fractures. Because every player’s needs and goals are different, effective care begins with a personalized evaluation and treatment plan.
In upper extremity care, successful outcomes depend on understanding the athlete. Grip strength, joint stability, range of motion, and return-to-play goals all play an important role in recovery. Working with doctors who understand the specific demands pickleball places on the upper extremity can help you heal more efficiently and return to the court with confidence.
At The Hand Center, our doctors specialize in diagnosing and treating pickleball-related conditions affecting the hand, wrist, and elbow. Using advanced training and a patient-centered approach, they develop individualized treatment and rehabilitation plans designed to restore strength, mobility, and function. Whether your care includes therapy, injections, or surgery, our team partners with you every step of the way to support a safe and successful return to play.
Our pickleball injury specialists at The Hand Center are proud to be Pickleball Doctors. Offering expert tips for injury prevention, performance, and more, Pickleball Doctors is a group of elite doctors dedicated to helping you stay on—and dominate—the pickleball court.
Prepare for Pickleball Play & Reduce Injury Risk
Improving your pickleball performance takes more than just time on the court—it requires intentional preparation off the court as well. Strength training, flexibility exercises, and proper conditioning play a key role in protecting your joints, enhancing balance, and lowering the risk of both overuse and acute injuries.
Building a consistent warm-up routine and incorporating targeted exercises before and after play can boost endurance, quickness, and overall performance. Proper conditioning also promotes safer movement and helps you stay consistent during longer matches. Explore our Pickleball 10 to Win routine below for focused exercises designed to improve strength, increase flexibility, and keep you ready to compete while reducing injury risk.
Pickleball 10 to Win
These 10 focused exercises are designed to improve strength, mobility, balance, and endurance, helping pickleball players perform at a higher level while lowering the risk of injury.
BEAR HUGS
Stand straight or lie on your back and open up your arms, pulling your shoulders back to broaden your chest. Bring your arms back in, wrapping them around your chest, and pat the back of your shoulders. Repeat quickly 20 times.
For the Win: Do some resistance bear hugs. Hold a resistance band around your back. Then, reach your arms out in front of you like you are hugging someone. Hold for 3 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
POGO HOPS
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly, but keep your posture straight. Keep your feet together and jump up and down in place. Repeat for 30 seconds.
For the Win: Do some single-leg hops. Balance on one leg and hop in place for 30 seconds. Repeat while balancing on your other leg. For better agility training, use a line to hop over from left to right.
SIDE-LYING LEG LIFTS
Lie on your side with your legs straight and one leg on top of the other. Bend your knees slightly and move your top leg toward the sky or ceiling. Lift your leg slowly and lower it slowly. Repeat 10 times on each side.
For the Win: Try resistance leg lifts! While lying on your side, place a resistance band around your legs and above your knees while you complete your leg lifts. For more of a challenge, place the band around your ankles.
SINGLE-LEG BALANCE
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and lift one foot off the ground. If you need, hold your arms out to help you balance. Hold this position for up to a minute or as long as you can and repeat on the other side.
For the Win: Do single-leg extensions. Stand on one foot. Lift your other leg, extending it behind you, in front of you, and off to the side. Center your leg before each extension. Repeat 15 times on each side.
STANDING QUAD STRETCH
Stand on one foot and pull the other behind you, holding the ankle. If you need, hold onto something for balance. Pull your heel toward your buttocks, and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on each side.
For the Win: Do kneeling quad stretches. Kneel on one knee with the opposite foot planted flat in front of you. Push your hips forward and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat for 3 sets on each side.
ROWS
Put a resistance band around a stable surface, like a tree or fence, holding the band in each hand. Stand facing the band with your feet hip-width apart. Pull the band toward you, squeezing your shoulder blades. Return to your starting position. Repeat 15 times.
For the Win: Do some bodyweight rows. Instead of resistance bands, use your body weight. Find a stable horizontal surface, such as a table or bar, and lie underneath it, grasping the surface firmly with both hands. Pull yourself up then lower yourself back down. Repeat 15 times.
PLANKS
Put your hands and knees on the ground, and then extend your legs behind you. Support your weight on your forearms and toes. Keep your body straight from your head to your heels. Hold this position as long as you can.
For the Win: Try side planks with resistance in your arms. Support your weight on one foot and forearm. Hold a resistance band in both hands, and extend your free arm toward the sky or ceiling. Repeat 10 times on each side.
HEEL RAISES
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly lift your heels off the ground, rising up onto the balls of your feet. Pause as you get to your tip-toe position, then lower your heels slowly back down to the ground. Repeat 20 times.
For the Win: Try single-leg heel raises. Instead of using both feet, lift one foot off the ground while putting your weight on the other foot and lifting that heel up. Repeat 20 times on each side.
SQUATS
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your hips down and back as if you are sitting down in a chair. Keep your weight on your heels. Return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times.
For the Win: Try single-leg squats. Instead of two feet down as you squat, lift one foot off the ground and extend it in front of you as you lower your hips and return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times on each side.
LUNGES
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Take a big step forward with one foot. Lower your hips down until your front knee is bent at a 90-degree angle. Keep your weight on your front heel. Push off your front foot to return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times on each side.
For the Win: Do backward and side lunges. For backward lunges, take a big step backward, lower, and push off your back foot to return to standing. For side lunges, take a step out to the side, lower yourself on that side, and push back up from that foot to return to standing.
Who to See
Duffield Ashmead IV, M.D., is a board-certified plastic surgeon and hand surgeon at The Hand Center in the greater Hartford, Connecticut, area. Dr. Ashmead sees patients of all ages in need of hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow care. He is particularly interested in congenital hand issues and problems affecting children.
Dr. Ashmead earned his undergraduate degree with honors at Princeton University in New Jersey before completing his doctorate at the Columbia University Vagelos College…
Daniel Mastella, M.D., is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and hand surgeon at The Hand Center in the greater Hartford area.
Dr. Mastella completed his undergraduate training at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., before earning his medical degree at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He then went on to complete a subspecialty fellowship hand surgery at the…
Chris McCarthy, M.D., is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in hand and upper extremity surgery at The Hand Center. He sees patients of all ages throughout the greater Hartford region. Dr. McCarthy's professional interests include complex traumatic upper extremity injuries, peripheral nerve surgery, repair, and reconstruction, and upper extremity arthroscopy.
Dr. McCarthy earned his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University in Columbus before graduating from the…
When to See a Doctor for a Pickleball Injury
Pain during or after pickleball isn’t something to push through, especially when it involves the hand, wrist, or elbow. Continuing to play through discomfort can worsen symptoms and delay recovery. If pain persists or begins to affect your grip, control, or performance, it’s important to be evaluated by a doctor experienced in upper extremity injuries. Seek care if you experience:
- A fall followed by a popping sensation or sudden pain in the hand, wrist, or elbow
- Difficulty gripping the paddle or reduced hand strength
- Persistent hand, wrist, or elbow pain that does not improve with rest or icing
- Swelling, stiffness, or limited range of motion in the fingers, wrist, or elbow
- Pain during or after swings, especially with repetitive use
- Localized pain that is tender, swollen, or warm to the touch
We treat a wide range of hand, wrist, and elbow injuries experienced by pickleball players, including:
- Elbow overuse conditions, including tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, and pickleball elbow
- Wrist sprains and ligament injuries
- Hand and wrist fractures
- Tendonitis affecting the wrist or elbow
- Nerve compression conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
Complete Upper Extremity Care for Pickleball Players
Treatment should support both recovery and long-term performance. At The Hand Center, our doctors are experienced in treating pickleball-related injuries and develop individualized care plans based on your diagnosis, activity level, and goals. Whenever possible, care begins with conservative, nonsurgical options such as therapy, bracing, and injection treatments.
If surgery is needed, our surgeons use advanced, minimally invasive techniques to promote safer procedures and a more efficient recovery. From initial evaluation through rehabilitation, our team is dedicated to helping you return to the pickleball court with confidence.
Learn More About Pickleball Injuries
Care is tailored to meet the needs of athletes at every level, including those who play pickleball. Explore the resources below to learn more about common injuries and conditions our doctors treat and how we help patients stay active and perform at their best.