Pickle ball Injury Trends and How to Avoid Them!

Pickleball continues to be America's fastest-growing sport for the third year in a row. As we see more people playing pickleball, we also see an increase in injuries.
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One of the most common pickleball-related injuries is knee pain. This can be caused by quick lateral movements required to play the sport. If you’re experiencing knee pain with pickleball, it is likely there are muscle imbalance at the hip and knee that can be addressed to decreased pain and improve performance.
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Another common injury in pickleball is shoulder pain. Pickleball is a racquet sport, requiring strength and power of the shoulders. Physical therapy can help you improve your mobility and strength and prevent aches and pains.
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Additionally, we see a lot of falls and fractures due to pickleball. Due to the quick, rapid movement demands of pickleball, many people lose their balance and fall. In physical therapy, we train those quick movements and improve balance and strength to reduce risk of falls and fractures.
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Lastly, we see lots of strains and sprains. Achilles and ankles tend to be the most common. We attribute this again to quick movements, lower extremity strength imbalances, and poor balance control.
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If you’ve been injured or want to prevent pickleball injuries, reach out to a physical therapist for help!