The fast rise in pickleball’s popularity, along with the game’s physical requirements, has brought with it a surge in pickleball-related injuries. For players—and their family members alike—it’s important to know how to prevent these injuries and how these injuries are treated.
Top Pickleball-Related Injuries
Pickleball can cause many different injuries that players should be aware of. Understanding these common injuries is key to both prevention and timely intervention. Common pickleball-related injuries include:
- Ankle sprains: Among the most common pickleball injuries, ankle sprains happen when players suddenly twist or turn on the court. The game’s quick movements and frequent stops and starts make the ankles vulnerable.
- Calf and Achilles tendon strains: The fast moves needed in pickleball, especially when speeding up or stopping suddenly, strain the calf muscles and Achilles tendon. These injuries often happen because of a poor warm-up or pushing too hard.
- Pickleball elbow: Similar to tennis elbow, this affects the forearm muscles from repeatedly gripping and swinging the paddle. The stress on the tendons and muscles in the forearm causes pain.
- Shoulder strains and rotator cuff Injuries: Making overhead shots in pickleball, especially during serves and smashes, can lead to shoulder strains and rotator cuff injuries. Doing these moves too much or with the wrong form can strain the shoulder joint and the muscles around it.
Preventing Pickleball Injuries
Prevention is crucial in mitigating pickleball-related injuries. Players should focus on proper warm-ups, including dynamic stretching and strengthening exercises. Some great warm-up exercises include arm circles, side shuffles, shadow deadlifts, forward lunges, side lunge returns, step-through lunges, leg swings, and inchworms, among others.
Ensuring adequate footwear with ankle support can significantly reduce the risk of ankle sprains. Mastering proper techniques and incorporating rest days into training schedules can also help prevent overuse injuries.
New players—especially those who haven’t been physically active in years—should ease into the game. Start by playing shorter matches until you’ve improved your flexibility, stamina, and strength to play for longer periods of time. Injuries are most common when players are tired, fatigued and have pushed past their limits.
Managing and Treating Pickleball Injuries
If you get injured, getting medical help quickly is important. Physical therapists are key in helping people deal with and treat their pickleball injuries. Having a team of health care experts means you’ll get a plan just for you so you can return to strength, mobility and—most importantly—pickleball. Whether it’s an ankle sprain or muscle strain, these specific treatments help you recover quickly and get back to the game.
Recovery and Rehabilitation
Getting back to playing pickleball revolves around a vital part of treatment: recovery. Physical therapists help patients by giving them exercises to bring back their movement range, make them stronger and improve their stamina. Coming back to the game slowly and watching out for any pain coming back helps ensure it’s safe to play again.
Even after returning to the game, it’s important to get support from health care experts. Going for follow-up sessions with physical therapists might be suggested to check how things are going, fix any remaining issues or adjust rehab exercises.
Pickleball’s Popularity and Impact on Health
People love pickleball because it’s easy to get into and offers a mix of socializing, exercise and skill development. Plus, it’s not as tough on the body as sports like tennis, making it attractive to those who want exercise that’s less intense but still exciting.
Like any sport, pickleball comes with the chance of getting hurt. Yet, if you’re well-prepared, use the right technique, and take care, you can lower these risks. The benefits of staying active and being social often outweigh the chances of getting hurt, especially if you take steps to prevent injuries to begin with.
Medically reviewed by Michael Zarro, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Sports Clinical Specialist, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist; Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science; and Team Physical Therapist for the University of Maryland Terrapins and University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers
