Tennis & Pickleball Injuries

One-on-one care for the elbow, shoulder, knee, and ankle injuries these sports cause, and a staged return to full play.

  • A one-on-one assessment with a Doctor of Physical Therapy, never a technician or an aide
  • Hands-on care and strength work matched to the stroke or the step that hurts
  • Agility, conditioning, and court drills before you go back to full play
Court sports produce the same handful of problems: a sore elbow after backhands, a shoulder that aches the day after serving, a knee that hurts on the split step, a rolled ankle. Your first visit sorts out which tissue is irritated and what in your game keeps aggravating it. Most patients feel some relief after that first session.

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What causes Tennis & Pickleball Injuries?

Court sports produce the same handful of problems: a sore elbow after backhands, a shoulder that aches the day after serving, a knee that hurts on the split step, a rolled ankle. Your first visit sorts out which tissue is irritated and what in your game keeps aggravating it. Most patients feel some relief after that first session.

Tennis player holding a racquet and tennis balls on a clay court

Customized treatment for lasting relief

Serves, forehands, and volleys ask a lot of the elbow, shoulder, wrist, and trunk, especially late in a match when form slips. If your pain shows up in one stroke, the plan is built around that motion: where in the swing it hurts and how much of it your arm can handle right now.

Pickleball player swinging a paddle toward a yellow ball on an outdoor court

How this treatment works

A full one-on-one evaluation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We look at how the injury behaves under load, what your strokes and footwork are asking of it, and what makes it worse. You leave with an explanation of what we found and what we intend to do about it.

Tennis player holding a strung racquet beside the net on a clay court

What our patients say

From post-surgical recovery to competitive golf, here's what patients say about working with our doctors.

Diane White

Patient

Back to the activities I love, pain-free.

Our approach

A four-phase plan that starts with getting you out of pain and keeps going for as long as you want to keep progressing.

Reduce Pain

Your first visit is a full evaluation with a Doctor of Physical Therapy, who works out what's actually driving your symptoms. From there, manual therapy, dry needling, myofascial release, and targeted movement work bring the pain down.

Restore Mobility & Flexibility

Reducing pain doesn't automatically mean you start moving well. Before we load anything, we restore the motion you're missing. Through joint mobilization, soft tissue work, and targeted movement and stretching, we address the restrictions contributing to the problem. This is where most people start noticing they can reach, turn, walk, or sleep normally again.

Build Foundational Strength

Once you can move comfortably, we build strength and resilience around the areas that contributed to the problem in the first place. The goal is simple: build the strength your daily life, work, or sport actually asks of you.

Perform

Your goal sets the finish line. Maybe that's getting through a full day without thinking about your body, playing with your grandkids, walking 18 holes, getting back on the court, or competing at your highest level. We build toward whatever your version of performance looks like.

Mobility
Strength
Be You Again

Why patients choose Florida Physio

Three things that shape every tennis and pickleball injuries plan we build.

Always A Doctor, Always One-On-One

Every visit is with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We don't use technicians, assistants, or interns.

A Whole-Body Assessment Comes First

Every plan starts with a full movement assessment. The roots of tennis and pickleball injuries often trace back to how the joints above and below it are working, so that is where we start looking.

Care That Continues Past Pain-Free

Getting out of pain is where most clinics stop. Plenty of our patients carry on into strength, power, and sport, in person or through the Florida Physio app.

Who you'll be working with

Every visit is one-on-one with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. We don't use technicians, assistants, or interns.

Portrait of Dr. Leighton Peavler
Founder

Dr. Leighton Peavler

Portrait of Dr. Donald Wasoff
Physical Therapist

Dr. Donald Wasoff

Portrait of Dr. Paige Matthews
Physical Therapist & Operations Director

Dr. Paige Matthews

Portrait of Dr. Kristin Boylan
Clinic Director

Dr. Kristin Boylan

Portrait of Dr. Kelly Claytor
Physical Therapist

Dr. Kelly Claytor

Portrait of Dr. Alex Adler
Physical Therapist

Dr. Alex Adler

Portrait of Lauren Voelker, Physical Therapist
Physical Therapist

DR. Lauren Voelker

Success stories & reviews

Unedited Google reviews from people we've treated, covering everything from chronic pain to competitive sport.

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Kevin Dyer

I’ve had alot of experience with PT and with training and can say that Florida Physio has been the absolute best that I’ve ever had. Leighton and Don are real pros and are a pleasure to work with. I value the fact that both have golf backgrounds so they get it on both a physiological and performance level. Fantastic practice.

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Brad Schmeiser

Highly recommend Florida Physio, Leighton and Don have helped my strength and conditioning tremendously. Their core and strength exercises have improved my flexibility, back issues and overall strength. They offer detailed exercises to improve core strength, flexibility and swing speed for your golf game.

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Anastassia Belessioti

My 14 years old son is a competitive golfer and he had a wonderful experience with Leighton. Starting with a TPI assessment and a detailed conversation about my son’s goals, Leighton created a plan of stretches and exercises that would help my boy achieve his goals. Leighton truly a great professional!

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Michael Puffer

I can’t thank Leighton enough for all the overall improvements I’ve seen with my golf game, my body, and most importantly the reduction in pain. He knows his stuff! I also absolutely love the app and the ability to get all my training in on my time.

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Bill Moody

Don is unique in that he has the knowledge and skills to work both on my physical limitations and my golf swing. He is increasing my shoulder mobility and at the same time designing a swing that can work within my current limits. Highly recommended.

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Mike Finster

Dr Leighton Peavler is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He not only assisted with alleviating my back pain but his explanations were easy to understand. Highly recommend his services.

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Grace Paul

I just had my first appointment with Dr. Kelly and I can’t wait to go back! I’m a bodybuilder and have been struggling with neck and shoulder pain for months. Dr. Kelly did a full assessment and performed dry needling. I walked out of the office feeling so much better and I feel very confident that I’ll soon be totally pain free!

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Karla Kirkwood

Kristin has tremendous knowledge of complex human anatomy. With her precise guidance, she has helped me gain back mobility in my shoulder that other PT’s could not achieve. An added bonus is I am almost pain free and gaining strength every week!

Tennis & Pickleball Injuries FAQs

Clear answers to common questions about tennis & pickleball injuries and physical therapy.

Live pain free in North St. Petersburg

Book a visit with a Doctor of Physical Therapy and find out what's actually going on. Most patients feel relief after their first session.

Tennis & Pickleball Injuries | Florida Physio