Common Pickleball Injuries and Tips to avoid them

As much fun as pickleball can be, it can also cause quite a few aches and pains. In this blog, we plan to briefly cover common injuries we see from people who have just started playing pickleball. Keep in mind, this is a safe game but in 2023 alone, Pickleball accounted for a whopping $350 million worth of injuries and medical expenses!  Journal of Emergency Medicine)

What are common injuries from Pickleball?

• Strains:
  • Strains are tendon injuries that can occur from performing an activity too much, too soon, especially if it is a new movement to an individual.
  • Common tendon injuries we see from pickleball include: Patellar Tendon, Achilles pain, hamstring strains, Wrist/elbow pain and Rotator Cuff injuries
• Sprains:
  • A sprain is a ligament injury and usually occurs from a traumatic event or from poor movement patterns.
  • Common sprains we see include: Ankle (ATFL sprains), Anterior Cruciate ligament (ACL) and Medial Collateral ligament sprains (MCL).
• Fractures:
  • Fractures, more commonly known as “broken bones,” generally occur from falling or excessive impact with low bone density.
  • Common fracture sites are the wrist/hand, hip and shoulder fractures

Tips to Avoid Injuries while playing pickleball:

• Make sure to perform a warmup of 5-10 minutes BEFORE playing

• Ease into playing. Don’t suddenly start playing 3-4x/week. This is one of the easiest ways to hurt yourself. Start by playing 1-2x/week for small periods of time and gradually add more playing time.

• Make sure you play with correct shoes. This may sound like common sense but improper footwear can increase chance of falling or tendon/bone irritation.

• Start by playing with doubles, this is far less joint stress and is a good way to ease into pickleball.

What to do if you do have an injury during pickleball?

• You can always call and schedule with a physical therapist without a referral (for 2 weeks in Texas) to make sure it is not a serious injury that needs more attention. We are trained to screen out pathology and can help guide your rehab plan.

• Physical Therapy can help get you back to playing quicker, safer and help educate you on ways to avoid worsening your injury.

• If you are looking for a 1-on-1 sports Physical Therapist to get you back to playing sports, give us a call at 512-481-2777

*** This is for information purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice.  A medical profession should advise you on what exercise program is appropriate for you***

Citations:

1. Pickleball-Related Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments

Forrester, Mathias B.

Journal of Emergency Medicine, Volume 58, Issue 2, 275 - 279

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