Returning to pickleball after an injury
When and how can I safely return to pickleball after an injury?
By Pickleball Safety editors · Published October 4, 2026 · Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Before you go back
Rehab usually comes first. NIAMS, part of the National Institutes of Health, says a program of exercise and other therapy is usually recommended before you go back to the sport that hurt you. It also lists a prior injury as a risk factor for the next one [1].
Playing through pain is common, and it's worth resisting. In a 2025 survey of 1,758 players, about one in three kept playing despite pain [2].
How long it takes
It depends on the injury. Researchers who followed the professional tour from 2018 to 2025 found that 35% of injured players were back within days and 15% within weeks. About 19% needed months, and ACL and Achilles tears ended seasons [3].
Surgery doesn't have to end your playing days. At a shoulder clinic in Oregon, all 23 recreational players who had shoulder surgery got back on the court, 78% of them within a year. Twenty said they played at the same level as before. Arthroscopy patients came back sooner than those who had a shoulder replaced: 88% within a year, against 57% [4].
Joint replacement is a similar story. The University of Utah surveyed 1,284 patients after joint replacement surgery. Of those who'd played a racket sport in the two years before, 71.9% went back, most of them by 6 months and at about the same skill level. They didn't need repeat surgery any more often than people who stayed off the court. Patients who hadn't played in the two years before surgery returned far less often, just 30.2% [5].
The Achilles is harder. In one study of 28 players who tore the tendon on the court, only 47% went back, after 1.6 years on average. Nearly all of the rest said fear of another injury kept them away [6]. The Achilles guide has more on that injury.
Building back up
Ease in. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons warns that injuries often happen when people suddenly increase how long, how hard or how often they play. Coming back to a sport you haven't played lately, it says, start slowly and give your body time to adjust before you go all out. Add no more than one or two new activities per workout [7].
On the court, that might mean dinking and drilling for a few sessions before full games, then short games before a long day of open play.
Stop and get checked if
NIAMS lists the signs that need medical care: sudden, severe pain, a lot of swelling or bruising, not being able to put weight on a leg, a joint that won't move normally, or real weakness in the injured area [1]. And if symptoms don't go away, the orthopaedic academy says to call your doctor [7].
Sources
- Sports injuriesNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH, 2024Risk factors for sports injuries, signs that need medical care, and rehab before returning.
- Understanding injury patterns and predictors in pickleball players: a nationwide study of 1,758 participantsOwoeye OBA, et al. Sports Medicine - Open, 2025Which body parts players hurt most, and how many keep playing through pain.
- Injuries and return to play in elite pickleball players: a review of the Professional Pickleball Association TourSwisher J, Burbank K. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2026Knee injuries and return-to-play times among professional players.
- The rate of return to play for pickleball is high following shoulder surgeryParhar K, et al. JSES Reviews, Reports, and Techniques, 2025How many players returned after shoulder surgery, and how soon.
- Can I pickle doc? Return to pickleball and other racket sports after total joint arthroplastyTaylor AJ, et al. Journal of Arthroplasty, 2025Return to racket sports after joint replacement.
- Pickleball and the return to sport after Achilles tendon ruptureLencer AJ, et al. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2026When in a player's first months the tears happened, and how many players returned to the game.
- Sprains, strains and other soft-tissue injuriesAmerican Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfoStarting back slowly after time away from a sport, and when to call a doctor.