The Best Back Exercises for Pickleball Players: How to Stay Strong, Mobile, and Ready for the Next Match
- 16 hours ago
- 11 min read
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in our area (Springfield, NJ) and across the country. It combines quick movements, sudden twists, and powerful swings, all of which put significant demands on your back muscles. If you want to improve your game and avoid common back injuries, focusing on targeted back exercises is key. At my office, the Springfield Chiropractic Center, we see so many players who underestimate the importance of back strength and flexibility. This article will guide you through effective back exercises tailored specifically for pickleball players, helping you stay active, healthy, and competitive on the court.
Pickleball is popular for good reason. It is social, competitive, accessible, and fun. It gets people moving, gives adults a reason to stay active, and builds a sense of community. But as more people play, more players are also discovering that pickleball can be surprisingly demanding on the lower back.
A player may start out feeling great. Then the matches get longer, the rallies become more competitive, and suddenly there is stiffness after playing, soreness the next morning, or a sharp twinge during a quick reach for the ball.
The goal is not to scare you away from pickleball. Quite the opposite. The goal is to help you build the strength, mobility, and spinal control needed to keep playing well.
According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, and participation grew 171.8% from 2022 to 2025, making it one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. (Sports and Fitness Industry Association)
“Pickleball grew 171.8% from 2022 to 2025, making it the fastest-growing sport in the United States.”— Sports & Fitness Industry Association
That rapid growth is good for fitness and community, but it also means many adults are playing frequently before their bodies are fully prepared for the bending, reaching, rotating, stopping, and pivoting that the sport requires.
Why Pickleball Can Stress the Lower Back
Pickleball looks simple from the outside. The court is smaller than a tennis court, the paddle is light, and the game seems low-impact. But your spine may have a different opinion.
Pickleball repeatedly asks the body to:
Bend forward for low shots
Rotate quickly through the trunk
Lunge and recover
Stop and start suddenly
Reach outside your base of support
Maintain balance while reacting to the ball
Those movements are not inherently bad. In fact, they are part of what makes pickleball such a useful activity for coordination, balance, and fitness. The problem begins when the hips, core, glutes, and spine are not working together well.
When your hips do not move enough, your lower back often moves too much. When your core lacks endurance, your spine loses support late in a match. When your glutes are weak, your lower back tends to compensate. That is when a fun game can turn into a week of stiffness, spasms, or radiating pain.
A 2025 PubMed-indexed study reported that pickleball-related spinal injuries increased significantly from 2013 to 2023, with most involving the lumbar spine. (PubMed)
“Most injuries involved the lumbar spine.”— PubMed: Introduction to Spine Injuries in the Pickleball Athlete
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has also cautioned that despite pickleball’s reputation as a low-impact sport, injury risk still exists, especially for players with weaker bones or underlying musculoskeletal issues. (AAOS)
“Despite its reputation as a low-impact sport,” pickleball still carries injury risk.— American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
The Real Goal: A Back That Can Handle the Game
Most people think back exercises are only about stretching tight muscles. Stretching can help, but pickleball requires more than flexibility.
A resilient back needs four qualities:
1. Mobility
Your hips, spine, and shoulders need enough motion to reach, rotate, and recover without strain.
2. Stability
Your core needs to control your trunk while your arms and legs move.
3. Strength Endurance
Your muscles need to keep supporting you through the entire match, not just the first few points.
4. Balance and Control
Your body needs to react quickly without collapsing into poor positions.
That is why I prefer exercises that train the back as part of the whole body. The spine does not play pickleball by itself. Your hips, pelvis, core, shoulders, knees, ankles, and nervous system all contribute to how well you move on the court.
For players with recurring back pain, sciatica, or disc-related symptoms, it is also important to understand the underlying cause. You can learn more about our approach to these conditions on our pages about sciatica and herniated or bulging discs.
Before You Start These Exercises
These exercises are designed to help pickleball players improve back strength, mobility, and control, but every body is different. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain, worsening symptoms, numbness, tingling, weakness, dizziness, or pain traveling into the leg. If you have a recent injury, a known spinal condition, osteoporosis, prior surgery, or ongoing back pain, it is best to be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional before starting a new exercise routine.
7 Back Exercises for Pickleball Players
These exercises are designed to improve spinal control, hip function, core strength, and movement confidence. They should feel controlled, not painful. Start slowly and focus on quality.
1. Cat-Cow Mobility
Why It Helps
Pickleball players often get stiff through the spine after repeated forward bending. Cat-cow helps restore gentle spinal motion and can be useful before or after playing.
How to Do It
Start on your hands and knees. Slowly round your back upward, then gently lower your belly and lift your chest. Move smoothly between both positions.
Recommended Approach
Perform 8–12 slow repetitions.
The goal is not to force motion. Keep the movement comfortable and controlled.
2. Bird Dog
Why It Helps
The bird dog trains your core, back, hips, and shoulders to work together while resisting unwanted spinal movement. That is exactly what you need when reaching for a ball while staying balanced.
How to Do It
Start on your hands and knees. Brace your core gently. Extend one arm forward and the opposite leg backward. Keep your hips level. Return to the starting position and switch sides.
Recommended Approach
Perform 2 sets of 6–8 repetitions per side.
A good bird dog should feel stable and controlled. If your hips are twisting excessively, reduce the range of motion and focus on better control.
3. Glute Bridge
Why It Helps
Strong glutes reduce the tendency to overuse the lower back during lunges, pivots, and quick recovery steps. Your glutes are powerful stabilizers for the pelvis and lower spine.
How to Do It
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Tighten your abdominal muscles lightly. Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips. Pause briefly at the top, then lower with control.
Recommended Approach
Perform 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions.
Baptist Health recommends bridges, planks, bird dogs, and other strengthening exercises to help stabilize the back and support better posture and balance for pickleball players.
“Strengthening your core muscles can help stabilize your back.”— Baptist Health
4. Side Plank
Why It Helps
Pickleball requires lateral movement. The side plank strengthens the muscles that help stabilize your trunk when moving side to side.
How to Do It
Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder. Keep your knees bent for the easier version, or legs straight for the harder version. Lift your hips and keep your body aligned. Hold without letting your hips drop.
Recommended Approach
Perform 2 holds of 10–25 seconds per side.
The side plank is especially useful because many players only train forward-and-back motion. Pickleball requires side-to-side stability, trunk control, and the ability to change direction safely.
5. Hip Hinge Drill
Why It Helps
Many pickleball players bend from the lower back instead of hinging from the hips. A better hip hinge helps you reach low balls with less spinal strain.
How to Do It
Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart. Soften your knees slightly. Push your hips backward as your torso tips forward. Keep your spine long. Return to standing by driving through your hips.
Recommended Approach
Perform 2 sets of 8–10 repetitions.
This drill teaches your hips to do their job so your lower back does not have to absorb as much stress during repeated bending.
6. Standing Trunk Rotation
Why It Helps
Pickleball involves repeated trunk rotation during serves, returns, and quick reaches. Controlled rotation can help improve mobility without forcing the lower back to twist excessively.
How to Do It
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your knees slightly bent. Rotate your trunk gently side to side. Keep the motion smooth and controlled.
Recommended Approach
Perform 10 controlled rotations per side.
AARP includes trunk rotations as one of several exercises that may help pickleball players prepare their bodies and reduce injury risk.
“Trunk rotations stretch the spine and core muscles.”— AARP
7. Reverse Lunge With Reach
Why It Helps
This exercise trains balance, hip control, leg strength, and trunk stability. Those are all important when moving quickly on the court.
How to Do It
Stand tall. Step one foot backward into a comfortable reverse lunge. Keep your front knee controlled. Reach both arms forward or slightly overhead. Return to standing and switch sides.
Recommended Approach
Perform 2 sets of 6–8 repetitions per side.
If this feels too difficult, hold onto a stable surface. The goal is controlled movement, not forcing your body into a position it is not ready to handle.
A Simple Weekly Routine for Pickleball Players
You do not need a complicated exercise program to support your back for pickleball. You need a consistent routine that improves mobility, builds core strength, and helps your body tolerate the repeated bending, twisting, reaching, and quick changes of direction that happen during play.
A good starting point is to perform this routine 2–3 times per week, preferably on non-consecutive days. Move slowly, focus on control, and stop if any exercise causes sharp pain.
Start with Cat-Cow for 8–12 slow repetitions to gently loosen the spine and reduce stiffness.
Next, perform Bird Dog for 2 sets of 6–8 repetitions per side. This helps train your core, hips, and back to work together while keeping your spine stable.
Follow that with Glute Bridges for 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions. Strong glutes help reduce unnecessary stress on the lower back during lunges, pivots, and quick recovery steps.
Then move into Side Planks, holding each side for 10–25 seconds. Complete 2 rounds per side. This helps build the lateral trunk stability needed for side-to-side movement on the court.
Practice the Hip Hinge Drill for 2 sets of 8–10 repetitions. This teaches you to bend from your hips instead of repeatedly loading your lower back when reaching for low shots.
Add Standing Trunk Rotations for 10 controlled repetitions per side to improve rotational mobility and prepare your spine for serving, returning, and reaching.
Finish with Reverse Lunges With Reach for 2 sets of 6–8 repetitions per side. This exercise helps train balance, hip control, leg strength, and trunk stability together.
This routine should feel controlled and purposeful, not exhausting. The goal is to build a body that can move well, recover well, and keep you on the court with less stiffness and more confidence.
The CDC recommends that adults include muscle-strengthening activity at least two days per week, along with regular aerobic activity. (CDC)
“Adults need at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week.”— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
For many pickleball players, that strength work is the missing piece between simply playing a few times per week and actually having a body prepared to play a few times per week.
Warm Up Before You Play
Before a match, spend 5–8 minutes preparing your body. A good warm-up should increase blood flow, loosen the hips and spine, and help your nervous system react faster.
Try:
Brisk walking or light jogging in place
Gentle trunk rotations
Hip hinges
Side steps
Arm swings
Easy practice volleys
Hospital for Special Surgery recommends warm-up movements and exercises to help prepare the body for pickleball and reduce injury risk. (Hospital for Special Surgery)
“Even if you take the right pre-game steps, pickleball-related injuries can still happen.”— Hospital for Special Surgery
A warm-up does not guarantee you will avoid injury, but it gives your body a better chance to move well from the first point instead of using the first game as a poorly designed mobility experiment.
When Back Pain After Pickleball Needs Attention
Some mild soreness after a new activity can be normal. But certain symptoms should not be ignored.
Schedule an evaluation if you notice:
Pain that lasts more than a few days
Pain that returns every time you play
Sharp pain during bending, twisting, or serving
Pain traveling into the buttock, hip, or leg
Numbness, tingling, or weakness
Increasing stiffness that limits daily activity
These symptoms may indicate more than simple muscle soreness. Sciatica, disc irritation, joint restriction, hip dysfunction, and poor movement mechanics can all contribute to pain during or after pickleball.
In my practice, we look at the full picture: spinal mobility, hip motion, core control, posture, balance, strength, and the way your body actually moves. That matters because treating only the painful area often misses why the pain developed in the first place.
For related information, you may also find these pages helpful:
Why Pickleball Players Should See a Chiropractor
Pickleball is not just a casual backyard game anymore. It requires quick reactions, balance, spinal rotation, hip mobility, shoulder control, and the ability to stop, start, bend, and recover without losing your position.
That is a lot to ask from the spine and joints, especially if you are playing several times per week.
As a chiropractor, I look at more than where something hurts. For pickleball players, the real question is often: Why is the body breaking down under the demands of the game?
Back pain, hip tightness, knee strain, shoulder discomfort, or recurring stiffness may not simply be random aches. They may be signs that your body is compensating for poor mobility, weak trunk control, joint restriction, muscle imbalance, or inefficient movement patterns.
Chiropractic care can help pickleball players by improving the way the spine, hips, pelvis, and extremities move together. When your joints move better and your nervous system coordinates movement more efficiently, your body is often better able to handle the bending, pivoting, reaching, and rotational demands of the sport.
At the Springfield Chiropractic Center, our goal is not only to help reduce pain. Our goal is to help patients move better, function better, and stay active.
For pickleball players, that may include:
Improving spinal and hip mobility
Reducing stress on the lower back
Addressing joint restrictions that affect movement
Improving posture, balance, and body control
Helping the core and lower body work together more efficiently
Identifying movement compensations before they become bigger problems
Supporting recovery between games
Creating a plan to keep you playing safely and confidently
This is especially important for players who notice the same problem returning again and again. If your back tightens every time you play, your hip bothers you after long matches, or your shoulder aches after serving, the problem may not be the sport itself. The problem may be that your body is not moving well enough to meet the demands of the sport.
Pickleball may be fun, but your body still has to be prepared for the physical demands of the game. Chiropractic care can help make sure your spine and joints are ready for the next match.
Final Thoughts: Build the Body That Lets You Keep Playing
Pickleball is good exercise. It is social, competitive, fun, and accessible. For many of the adults near my office in Springfield, Millburn, Short Hills, Summit, Union, and the surrounding towns, it is exactly the kind of activity that helps make movement part of daily life again. But your body needs to be prepared for the game.
A stronger back, better hip mobility, improved core control, and better balance can help you move more confidently, recover faster, and reduce the risk of recurring pain. The best time to build that foundation is before your back forces you to stop.
If back pain is limiting your game, or if you want to move better before the problem gets worse, the Springfield Chiropractic Center can help you identify what is holding you back and create a plan to keep you active.
Pickleball should help you feel stronger, healthier, and more capable. With the right approach, your back can support the way you want to move, both on and off the court.
To schedule a chiropractic appointment or to learn about my practice, please visit www.Springfield-Chiropractic.com
Visit Our Office:
Springfield Chiropractic Center
454 Morris Ave.
Springfield, NJ 07081
(973) 564-7676
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Wishing you good health.
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