Wrist pain, by its medical name
Pinky-side wrist pain in padel: TFCC and ECU, from players who came back
Pain on the pinky side of the wrist is one of the injuries padel players ask about most, and two names keep coming up: a tear of the TFCC and inflammation of the ECU tendon. Here are 4 players from r/padel in their own words, how long it took them, and what the people who replied say helped them. Every quote links to its post.
In short
- Two of these players spent weeks or months treating "tendonitis" before imaging showed a TFCC tear. Both say a proper diagnosis was the turning point.
- Recoveries in these threads took from about four months to more than a year. Most did not need surgery; one reply describes surgery and six to seven months out.
- What people report helped: rest, a cast or brace, physio-led strengthening with moderate load, one cortisone injection, and fixing grip size and a loose wrist.
- Some players link the pain to a new or vibrating racket; others had it with a light one. A racket change is not a treatment.
This is players' experience, not medical advice. Pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks, swelling, clicking or weakness needs a doctor or a hand and wrist physiotherapist. Our comfort rating describes published specs; it does not prevent injury.
Which side hurts, and what it is called
Pinky side (ulnar side). The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) cushions the joint between the forearm and the small wrist bones; a tear often shows as one sore spot that flares with twisting. The extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendon runs along the same edge, and a review of padel injuries describes inflammation of its sheath on ultrasound in padel players. Thumb side (radial side). The same review describes inflammation of the first extensor compartment, known as De Quervain tenosynovitis, in a padel player with thumb-side wrist pain. The review also links the grip a player uses to how much load reaches the wrist. Source: Musculoskeletal disorders in padel: from biomechanics to sonography.
Four players, in their own words
TFCC tear · r/padel · September 2026
“I've been dealing with a TFCC injury in my right wrist for more than 7 months now. And honestly, the mental part has been way worse than the physical one.”
The player was first told it was tendonitis and spent almost two months rehabbing the wrong problem before imaging found the tear. Weekly physio with progressive strengthening followed. Around month four they overdid the exercises and their doctors told them to lighten the load.
What the thread reports: Follow-up imaging showed the tear had healed significantly. Surgery is off the table for now and the player was cleared to return to racket sports progressively.
What people in the thread say helped them:
- “Less load. More bands. Lighter weights. Around 20 minutes once a day instead of attacking my wrist twice a day.” (the player, quoting their doctors, reply)
Small peripheral TFCC tear · r/padel · July 2026
“At rest I have basically no pain anymore. I can lift weights again, do everyday stuff, and my mobility is almost back to normal. But as soon as I play padel… even at like 50% intensity… my wrist reminds me it’s still there.”
Four months in, after rehab, strengthening and several specialists, the player asked whether anyone had come back to 100% after a TFCC tear.
What the thread reports: Unknown. The replies below are other people's recoveries, not this player's.
What people in the thread say helped them:
- “Be patient, it takes a year to become completely painless. I didn't go the surgery route, in cast for 3 months and physiotherapy after.” (a reply (the tear was from gymnastics, not padel), reply)
- “I played with my left arm for 3 months, then switched back to my right arm playing with a cast to keep the wrist still for abt 3 months. After that I got rid of the cast and fix my technique. Now its at least 95% normal.” (a reply, reply)
Partial TFCC tear · r/padel · June 2026
“The weird thing was that one very specific spot on the pinky side of my wrist just wouldn't fully go away. Every time I thought I was getting close, I'd play a few days in a row and it'd become sensitive again.”
After almost three months treated as tendonitis, an ultrasound showed a partial TFCC tear. The player reports their doctor said to keep strengthening, keep playing within reason and load the wrist progressively rather than rest forever.
What the thread reports: Still recovering when they posted.
What people in the thread say helped them:
- “most people over 30 (including asymptomatic people) will have a small/moderate TFCC tear on imaging” (a reply from a physiotherapist, reply)
- “I had a grade 3 TFCC tear December 2024. Had surgery in September of last year and was out of action for 6-7 months before I tried going back. It’s still not 100%” (a reply describing a more severe tear, reply)
ECU or TFCC, not diagnosed in the post · r/padel · June 2026
“I tried looking it up and found out that It could be an ECU or a TFCC. Any tips on how to fix, or why it happens? Is it technique, overload etc.”
A player with intense pain on the outer side of the wrist asked what causes it. Two replies describe the same pain starting with a racket: one after a new racket and a backhand against the back glass, one with a racket they say vibrated a lot, combined with a thin grip.
What the thread reports: Unknown for the player who asked. Two people who replied report full recovery.
What people in the thread say helped them:
- “My remedy: 6 weeks rest, cortisone injection and 6 weeks of rest afterwards. Completely fixed and now I can play daily if need be.” (a reply (pain began after a new racket), reply)
- “It was caused by a combination of: overused, over grip is too thin and the racket vibrates a lot (even though it was pretty light at 360gr).” (a reply, naming a Siux Electra ST4 Pro, reply)
- “I first had it on March, it's the end of July now and I have fully recovered. Meaning I have zero pain in my wrist playing 4 times a week.” (a reply, reply)
Grip, technique and racket: what players changed
These are replies in wrist-pain threads, each from one person. Some contradict each other, which is a fair picture of the evidence.
Grip size
- “Rule of thumb is that there should be (about a finger wide) gap between your fingertips and palm then you close your grip.” (reply)
- “Be careful to use 2 overgrips and make the lower part very thick if you have a small hand. Doing so might force you to use too much strength to keep a tight grip on the racket, and therefore cause you wrist problems.” (reply)
Technique and strength
- “Since my coach taught me to lock my wrist all my wrist pain has been gone.” (reply)
- “only thing that helped sustainably was grip strengthening for a tenner I bought one of those squeezy things alongside daily forearm curls pro and supination wrist curls.” (reply)
The racket
- “I had serious issues with my wrist and the only thing that helped me was switching to a soft racket and using the left hand to hold the racket during matches to avoid squeezing the handle all the time with my main hand.” (reply)
- “I had wrist pain too playing with the AT 10 18k 2024, after swapping the head gravity motion i have no issues anymore.” (reply)
- “I played with Hack 03 and got pain just about everywhere, changed to Babolat Air Veron and feel great.” (reply)
The Head Gravity Motion is not in our index. Players who mention the Air Veron did not give a year; our index holds the Babolat Air Veron 2.6, which may not be the edition they used.
If you are choosing a racket while your wrist recovers
How this list is chosen. Rackets in our index whose maker publishes a soft core and does not publish a high (head-heavy) balance, with a checked shop route and a photo, lightest published weight first. That matches what several players above describe changing to. It is not a recommendation to keep playing through pain, and no list here prevents injury.
Nox AT10 Genius Ultra Light 2026
Specs & shop offers
StarVie Kyra
Specs & shop offers
StarVie Nyra
Specs & shop offers
Adidas Metalbone Ctrl 2026
Specs & shop offers
Nox Genius 12K Alum XTREM Lite 2027
Specs & shop offers
Nox ML10 Pro Cup Silver 2027
Specs & shop offers| Racket | Weight | Balance | Core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nox AT10 Genius Ultra Light 2026 | 310 to 325 g (10.9 to 11.5 oz) | not published | Soft, HR2 |
| StarVie Kyra | 340 to 360 g (12.0 to 12.7 oz) | Low | Soft, EVA (S-Eva Flex) |
| StarVie Nyra | 340 to 355 g (12.0 to 12.5 oz) | Low | Soft, S-EVA FLEX |
| Adidas Metalbone Ctrl 2026 | 345 to 360 g (12.2 to 12.7 oz) | Medium | Soft, EVA Soft Performance |
| Nox Genius 12K Alum XTREM Lite 2027 | 350 to 360 g (12.3 to 12.7 oz) | not published | Soft, HR3 WHITE EVA |
| Nox ML10 Pro Cup Silver 2027 | 350 to 365 g (12.3 to 12.9 oz) | not published | Soft, HR3 EVA |
Compare before you change
Start from the racket you use now and the thing you want to change, such as weight or balance, and compare published specs side by side.
Explore what to keep and change ↗How we built this page
Posts and replies from r/padel that name the TFCC or the ECU, plus wrist-pain threads about grip and rackets, read from the public Reddit archive on October 2026. Quotes are shortened only by cutting. Players are not named. The medical frame is from a published review, linked above. Last updated 2026-10-06.
Related: elbow and wrist pain: player reports and the research, tennis elbow player stories and the most comfortable rackets by published specs.
What is the TFCC in the wrist?
The triangular fibrocartilage complex is a cushion of cartilage and ligaments on the pinky side of the wrist, between the forearm bone (ulna) and the small wrist bones. Players in these threads describe a TFCC tear as a specific sore spot on the pinky side that flares after a few days of padel in a row.
Is pinky-side wrist pain in padel always a TFCC tear?
No. Two of the players here were first told it was tendonitis, and a published review of padel injuries also describes inflammation of the ECU tendon on that same side of the wrist. Only an examination, sometimes with ultrasound or MRI, tells them apart.
How long does a TFCC tear take to recover from padel?
In these threads, from about four months to more than a year. One player was cleared to return after seven months without surgery; one reply after surgery describes six to seven months out and still not being at 100%. These are individual reports, not a prognosis.
Can a different padel racket help wrist pain?
Some players report that a softer racket, a lower balance, the right grip size or a coach fixing a loose wrist helped them. Others had the same pain with a light racket. A racket change is not a treatment, and our comfort rating describes published specs; it does not prevent injury.