The Ultimate Padel Injury Guide: How a Simple Overgrip Fixes "Padel Elbow"

Why Your Elbow Hurts After a Match

Padel is an absolute blast, but it comes with one major downside for frequent players: lateral epicondylitis, which most of us just call "padel elbow." This painful inflammation of the outer elbow tendons is the most common injury in the sport. Because of the heavier rackets and constant wall rebounds, padel actually sees a higher rate of elbow issues than other racket sports. The surprising truth is that the culprit might not be your swing technique at all. It might just be a worn-out grip.

The Hidden Danger of a Dead Overgrip

When your overgrip loses its tackiness, it becomes slippery and frayed. To keep the racket from flying out of your hand during a heavy smash, you naturally start squeezing the handle much harder than you should. This over-gripping tightens your forearm muscles and transfers the raw vibration of every single ball impact straight up your arm, inflaming your tendons. A fresh, tacky overgrip absorbs that shock and allows you to hold the racket with a relaxed, natural hold, instantly relieving pressure on your forearm.

How to Prevent Padel Elbow

To keep yourself injury-free, try incorporating a few simple habits into your routine. First, change your overgrip regularly instead of waiting until it smells or completely peels. If you play four or more times a week, aim to swap it every one to two weeks. Second, make sure your grip size is right. You can use overgrips to adjust the handle, but be careful not to make it too bulky because an excessively large grip also causes strain. You can test this by holding your racket and seeing if your index finger fits into the gap between your fingertips and your palm. If it doesn't fit, your grip is too small. Finally, don't skip the warm-up. Spend five minutes stretching your wrist and forearm before you step onto the court.

• Change your overgrip regularly: Don't wait until it smells or peels. If you play 4+ times a week, swap it every 1–2 weeks.

• Size it right: Use overgrips to adjust your handle size, but don't make it too bulky. Use the Index Finger Test: hold your racket; if your index finger can't fit into the gap between your fingertips and your palm, your grip is too small.

• Warm up: Spend 5 minutes stretching your wrist and forearm before stepping onto the court.

Stay Fresh Effortlessly

Remembering to buy overgrips is a hassle. With El Lote, you can customize a recurring box to deliver fresh overgrips (Comfort, Feel, or Pro) directly to your home or partner padel centre in Switzerland exactly when you need them.