Pickleball Injuries: Types, Effects, Treatment & Prevention

The injuries that occur during playing pickleball are called pickleball injuries. The fast and quick movements and suddenly changing positions are the main cause of swelling and pain in tendons. The common and basic problem or injuries in the wrist, knee and Achilles also. According to studies 92 percent of fractures occur while the players fall during play. Pickleball is being popular all over the world but we know that injuries are a part of any sport. According to studies from 2010 to 2019, more than eighty five percent injuries that are pickleball related were in those individuals that are over the age of sixty.

Everyone knows that pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. According to the SFIA (Sport and fitness industry association), 8.9 million Americans play pickleball. So this sport is a lot of fun and very challenging. This sport is greatly hard and tough on your body. Pickleball is gaining much popularity day by day so the injury rate also increases. Mostly the injuries are occurred in those players who are over forty and also fifty above. Great training and exercises are required for this game.

Some of the common pickleball injuries of pros are given below.

• Strains and sprains
• Upper body injuries
• Fractures
• Scrapes and bruises
• Lower back pain

You can avoid these injuries by following different steps.

• Well recover soon
• Daily exercises
• Stop when you feel pain
• Warm up yourself

You can make sure that you have proper time for pickleball and for yourself. Always properly focus on your diet and your sleep because both these things recover you very fast and also avoid the chance of injury.

Pickleball is a great exercise or work out but your upper and lower body needs the exercises that are given by your trainer. Because full body exercise can make your whole-body muscles strong and flexible. Cardio exercise is also very important because it gives you strength when you run on the court during play.

During play if you feel pain then stop your game because pain is a signal from your brain that’s your body trying to inform you of something. If you ignore your brain signal or pain then it can cause the main injury. So when pain starts you can go sooner to your doctor and start treatment. The result you can recover very soon.

The daily warm up routine can properly help you to prevent injuries and also enhance your performance on the court. A number of different warm ups are recommended for pickleball players such as, properly stretch your back and calves and your shoulders. These are the basic and best warm up styles.

What are the common pickleball injuries?

The most common pickleball injuries are given below.

• Sprain Injury: When the ligament of the foot twisted or stretched then the sprain occurred. In simple words when a player suddenly bent their ankle while returning the shot.
• Strain Injury: When the muscles of the foot are overstretched and also over used then the strain occurs. This injury happens when the players over work their muscles and play out of their limitations.
• Achilles Tendinopathy: This injury happened on the lower part of your leg that is just on the back of the calf above the heel. When you over turn, jump, sprint, climb and play then this pain occurs. Achilles tendinopathy starts when you unconsciously play the game.
• Hip Injury: Most injuries of the hip occur from strains of muscles for the hip glutes, flexor and hamstring. The hip injury also occurs when the player falls for a hip on the pickleball court during play.
• Hand Injury: As we know that pickleball is very light but it can still damage your hand and it is the reason for hand injury. This injury occurs when you suddenly fall on the pickleball court and try your hands or fingers bent. The hand injuries also occur when the player collapses with another player or paddle.
• Bone fractures are very common pickleball injuries that suddenly send the player to the hospital or emergency room. Mostly the fractures occur when you badly fall on the court.
• Ankle Injuries: When you are running back on the court suddenly you can sprains and your ankle is bent. Then the ankle injuries occurred.
• The lower back injuries are very common in pickleball. These injuries also occur when you suddenly fall on the court and also when you over play to your limits.
• Falling: When you are playing pickleball, falling is very common. When you return a shot you suddenly change your position and this time you lose your balance and fall. As we know that the pickleball surfaces are very tough and hard so when the players fall then a number of injuries occur.
• Elbow Injuries: The elbow injuries are very common in pickleball. When you grip your pickleball paddle during play you repeatedly bend your elbow and swing the paddle. So when you bend your elbow with much more force than it can cause elbow injuries.
• Rotator Cuff Injuries: Pickleball shots like volleys and serve can’t be required with great force like tennis or other paddle sports but pickleball shots require very much usage of shoulders during play. Mostly the rotator cuff injuries occur when you over play then your limits and also occur by previous injuries also.
• Calf Injuries: Mostly the calf injuries can occur from different movements and also changing in directions during play. It can also occur when strain in muscles.
• Knee injuries are very common in pickleball when you bend your knee and it hardly touches the court then the knee is injured. The players that already have arthritis or some previous injuries can bear many difficulties.
• Wrist Injuries: The wrist injuries occured when you suddenly fell on the ground and held your hand on the court then your hand bent badly. These injuries also occur when your partner paddle hits your wrist while both of you compete for the same shot.

Knee injuries:

You may have a knee injury when there is a great damage in your tendons, cartilage, bones and ligament also. Knee injuries are very common in pickleball when you bend your knee and it hardly touches the court then the knee is injured. The players that already have arthritis or some previous injuries can bear many difficulties. Some of the common knee injuries & their prevention ways are given below in table.

Knee Injury	Prevention Strategies
Meniscus tears	Stretch and warm up properly before playing
Tendonitis	Engage in exercises to strengthen knee muscles
Knee dislocation	Ensure proper equipment and protective gear
Arthritis	Take breaks and rest when needed to avoid overuse
Knee Sprains	Incorporate proper stretching routines into your warm-up
Bursitis	Choose footwear that provides adequate support
Fractures	Listen to your body and don’t push through pain
ACL injuries	Maintain good overall fitness and flexibility
Patellar tendinitis	Strengthen surrounding muscles to support the knee
Patellofemoral pain syndrome	Follow proper technique and form during play
Knee plica	Avoid sudden movements and twisting motions
Jumper’s knee	Take time to recover and don’t rush back into play

The knee injuries are very common and still occur on the court of pickleball. It is very important that when the player has injury or pain then completely manage the pain and treat it perfectly. So some specific information about treatment of knees given below.

• If you have a severe knee injury then immediately stop your game and completely take rest. Must apply and rub the ice on the affected part to decrease pain and swelling.
• When you are playing pickleball no pain killers can reduce your pain. So directly consult with the doctor.
• If your pain and swelling increase or worse by passing the time then you must consult with the doctor. Because the doctor can diagnose the problem and then give you proper treatment.
• If your injury is much severe then take the treatment of physical therapy. It strengthens your knee and helps you recover very quickly.
• The tough, worse and severe knee injuries may require knee surgery. So this time you can get proper medical treatment and attention also.

Hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder injuries:

• All these injuries may happen when you play pickleball.As we know that pickleball is very light but it can still damage your hand and it is the reason for hand injury. This injury occurs when you suddenly fall on the pickleball court and try your hands or fingers bent. The hand injuries also occur when the player collapses with another player or paddle.
• The wrist injuries occured when you suddenly fell on the ground and held your hand on the court then your hand bent badly. These injuries also occur when your partner paddle hits your wrist while both of you compete for the same shot.
• The elbow injuries are very common in pickleball. When you grip your pickleball paddle during play you repeatedly bend your elbow and swing the paddle. So when you bend your elbow with much more force than it can cause elbow injuries.
• The shoulder pain is very common in pickleball and it is called impingement. This pain is caused by pinching of tendons like arthritis. This pain also occurs when you overplay and also aggressively play.
• The shoulder sprains and strains also occur when the tendons, muscles, ligaments and bones in the joints of shoulders are stretching. So when you play pickleball always take care of yourself and make sure that your court is properly clean and clear.

Hip injuries:

Most injuries of the hip occur from strains of muscles for the hip glutes, flexor and hamstring. The hip injury also occurs when the player falls for a hip on the pickleball court during play. The hip injuries that are very common in pickleball are hamstring muscles, hip flexor and also strains of gluteal muscle. The other injuries like exacerbation and hip arthritis can also happen.

These injuries are treated in different ways.

• Change your activities for few days
• Use anti-inflammatory medicines
• Physical therapy treatment
• Hip exercises
• Injections and biologics
• RICE Method that means rest, ice, compression and elevation.

You can avoid hip injuries and also healthy hips by following these tips.

• Must maintain a healthy weight
• Always wear easy, comfy and supportive shoes
• Must practice proper posture
• Warm up and stretch your lower body regularly before and after exercise
• Always eat healthy diet
• Properly cushion your hips and knees when you sleep

What are the types of injuries can be occured by pickleball?

Pickleball is an amazing and popular sport that has become the fastest growing sport in America. Pickleball become famous but it also contribute to much more injuries. Mostly the injuries occur in pickleball are below to the shoulder level. Also the pickleball court is smaller than tennis court so it also cause injuries because the player not run fastly. All the sports are not risk free but the pickleball injuries increase day by day just like pickleball popularity.

• There are some associated injuries in pickleball.According to studies some of the pickleball injuries are associated with other racket sports. So in tennis the main injuries are strains and sprains mostly of lower extremity, injury in lower back and trunk also. In pickleball mostly injuries occurred below the shoulder.
• In pickleball the acute injuries occur mostly from falling and sudden movements. The ankle joint sprain is very common in tennis and this injury is just similar in pickleball also. If the severe sprain occurs then you can not bear weight and also not move perfectly. If you feel more pain while bearing weight then treatment starts. You can properly rest, icing, compression and elevation because this RICE method is specially used in the treatment of sprain of the ankle and the other joints also. The ankle sprains must take weeks to resolve but if you follow proper treatment your ankle will heal soon. But you can start playing after physical therapy.
• In pickleball the chronic injuries badly affect the players. These injuries mostly occur due to over playing on hard surfaces. Plantar fasciitis occurs due to irritation of the fascia. This injury is treated with stretching, proper foot exercises and also use heel cups.

The heel contusions and bruises are completely treated with proper rest and footwear padding. If you can use improper footwear then it can cause blistering of feet. So always wear proper fit shoes for playing pickleball. The lumbar muscle strain is also a common injury just like other muscle strains. And it can also be cured by RICE method or treatment.

Lower back injuries are also very effective and many players treat their injuries by the doctor’s advice. The flexor and extensor tendon strain at the wrist can cause epicondylitis injuries at the elbow as well. These injuries are cured by doing proper rest, gentle resistance exercises and stretching. The chronic shoulder injuries occur less in pickleball but the strain of the cuff mostly occurs by overhand volleys. And this injury gets improved by taking full rest. If you have some severe shoulder injury then you can consult with a physical therapist.

How common are pickleball eye injuries?

Pickleball is played with hollow, plastic and perforated balls. But many injuries and serious damages of eyes have occured from hitting by ball and also from being hit by the paddle.

When the players are suffering from all these eye traumas and as a result start pain, swelling, bleeding in the eye and sometimes also lose vision. The eyes injuries occured due to different factors such as paddle, ball, size of the court and collide with co-player also. Many of the players suffer from eye injuries like retinal tears during play pickleball.

So always wear eye protection while playing pickleball. You can also use polycarbonate lenses. Pickleball is now gaining popularity among the old Americans. So these old players have not much power and agility to avoid contact injuries. Seventeen percent of pickleball players are sixty five years old and above. So in all the paddle or racket sports the ball is coming at you with much high speed. So when the ball hits the eye it causes serious damage.

How to prevent pickleball injuries?

 You can prevent pickleball injuries by following some important instructions.

• The pickleball injuries can be cured with physical therapy very well. Most of the injuries are treated by physical therapy. Even when the players are badly injured and the doctor recommended surgery they are completely treated with physical therapy. The physical therapy treated all the injuries like pain, aches, muscular imbalancing, strains, sprains etc. Physical therapy can allow you to play on the court again in a few days.
• If you want to avoid pickleball injuries, always completely hydrate yourself. When you properly take energy by your nutrition and hydration then your body must perform  very well. So liquids intake can properly fuel your body to play like a pro.
• You can also avoid pickleball injuries to use the best quality equipment including shoes, clothes and also the footwear. Always use proper footwear because all your movements during play totally depend on your shoes. Also select loose clothes that you can easily move yourself in different ways. So if the pickleball equipment is best then you can bear very less injuries.
• You make a routine to exercise regularly because it can strengthen your body and muscles and also give great power for your pickleball matches.
• Always playing pickleball according to your limits. When you feel pain and get tired while playing pickleball then you must take a break. So always listen to your body then it keeps you healthy.
• The clean court also helps to avoid injuries among all the players. When you start playing pickleball then first clean the court and remove any debris, rocks, pieces etc. Because all these things make the surface very dangerous so clean it well. If there are some cracks present on the pickleball surface so avoid playing on these types of surface. If you play on proper clean and plane surfaces then the risk of injuries is also reduced.
• You can also reduce the risk of injuries by regularly warming up and stretching yourself. The simple stretching and also the light warm up can make your body relax and powerful. So you can easily play pickleball.
• In pickleball it is not necessary to be the fastest and strongest player because this game is mostly all about best strategy and proper form also.

What doctors wish patients knew about preventing pickleball injuries?

The medicine physician or doctors set up some instructions to completely help the patients prevent injuries and enjoy the amazing pickleball game.

• If you have some severe medical condition then first consult your doctor. If the doctor says that everything is optimized and you are all clear then it is very crucial to take lessons and techniques properly.
• The pickleball game is for all ages. So most of the injuries that occured must are sprains, strains and also the overuse injuries. The other traumatic injuries like fracture but in pickleball fractures occurred very less in number. The fracture occurs when you take your step wrong while playing unconsciously. It is mostly occur in older players because their bodies can’t bear so much load so this can increase the risk of injuries.
• Overuse injuries are very common in pickleball. The overuse injuries include strains, shoulder pain and also knee pain. All these injuries occur due to overplay. So you must stop the game and rest for a few minutes while playing pickleball. For example, the pickleball elbow is an overuse injury and this injury is getting better by taking rest and physical therapy also.
• The acute injuries also occur when playing pickleball. Acute injuries include pulled hamstrings, ankle sprains etc. In these injuries you can’t bear weight, alot of pain happens. So immediately concern myself with the doctor. If you have severe injury then an X-Ray is required but if you have some mild injuries then you can rest and also do ice treatment. So you can improve yourself in a couple of days.
• Always listen to your body. When you play pickleball all your body muscles work. Playing pickleball on a regular basis will help you to keep your body active and functioning well.

Some of the other things that doctors want you to know perfectly.

• Always stay active outside the pickleball: You can avoid injuries if you are always active and smart while playing pickleball. You can achieve yourself by doing different exercises. It will keep your whole body active physically.
• Must start and end with stretching: You make a routine of properly warming up or stretching yourself before playing pickleball. It’s not a typical stretching where you can slowly walk, arm circles and lunges etc. So completely warm up your body before play. And when the game finishes you also stretch yourself and then rest.
• Hydration is much important: The hydration is very important for all the players. You can properly hydrate not only when you are playing but also before and after the match.
• Always wear the right shoe: The footwear is also very important in every game. So always use proper footwear because all your movements during play totally depend on your shoes. In pickleball quick and sudden movements occur so you want perfect and proper grip on the shoes. Because it gives you support when you perform these quick movements. The best pickleball shoes decrease the risk of ankle rolling. So always wear comfortable shoes.
• Treatment of injuries must varies: The doctors said, if some activity or thing hurts you and then stop and don’t do this. So if your body does not bear the difficult movements or positions then simply avoid it. If you have some mild pains it can easily be treated by rest or ice treatment. But if you have some severe or serious injury then go to your doctor immediately.
• Must know your limits: When you play different sports it directly increases your heart rate. So all the players and patients properly know their limits.

What is the common cause of pickleball injuries?

There are different causes of pickleball injuries.

• Repetitive stress
• Old techniques
• Overuse
• Quick movements
• Uses of low-quality equipment
• Less Activeness
• Rough court

What are the tips to avoid pickleball injuries?

Here are different tips to avoid pickleball injuries.

• Use proper equipment
• Don’t forget to stretch
• Regularly exercise
• Build up your strength
• Always wear the right gear
• Hydrate yourself
• Always stay alert

There are also different types of stretches to prevent pickleball injuries.

• Achilles tendon stretch
• Standing shoulder stretch
• Hamstring stretch
• Plantar fascia stretch
• Plantar fascia roll (myofascial release, butterfly stretch

If you are an athlete then you can perfectly do the Achilles tendon stretch. First you don’t bounce because this causes soreness and also microtears. Just move your feet slowly and stretch very comfortably. And also stop if you feel pain.

In standing shoulder stretch you stand tall and you can also sit upright. After this your left arm just brings to your chest and then holds it with your other hand and keeps your shoulders in a relaxed position. After this breath very deeply and also hold your breath for ten to thirty seconds. And similarly repeat on the opposite side. Always keep in mind to stop stretching when you feel any pain.

To start hamstring stretch you first stand with your both feet just side by side. Extend your leg in that way your heel touches the ground. After this properly bend your right knee and also perfectly hinge at the waist. You directly feel great stretch in the back of the thighs. You just hold this position for thirty seconds and then repeat.

In plantar fascia stretch first you put yourself in a sitting position and then place your foot perfectly on the other leg. After this properly grab your foot and also pull your toes. And you must stretch at your foot bottom and hold this stretch for thirty seconds and also repeat it three times.

In butterfly stretching you must sit on a yoga mat and bend your knees and also your feet just flat on the floor. After this put your feet soles together and completely allow your knees to move easily. When you hold this position you breathe slowly and repeat it.

Conclusion

We describe all the pickleball injuries. The different pickleball injuries are knee, hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder and so on. All these injuries greatly impact your playing style on the court. So to avoid pickleball injuries you must focus on some steps like using proper equipment, exercise, hydration and so on. So take your time and perfectly rest and cure your injuries. If any difficulty comes, then read our blog carefully and increase your knowledge about pickleball injuries. After reading this much more informative blog many questions arise in your mind.

FAQs

Is pickleball a safe sport?

Pickleball is mostly known as a safe sport but there are also some risks of injuries here. The common injuries in pickleball are strains and sprains. Both these sprains and strains occur in the shoulders, ankles and knees also.

How to play pickleball without injury?

When you play pickleball you must have the best quality and comfy athletic shoes to avoid injury. You can also avoid pain or injury by using double padded athletic socks that give you great comfort during play.

What exercises strengthen knees for pickleball?

There are different exercises that strengthen your knees for pickleball.

• Hamstring curls
• Lunges
• Squats

How do you prepare for pickleball?

You can prepare yourself for pickleball by walking and running because both these are very crucial in pickleball. It also increase your stamina and also better your cardiovascular health.

Can pickleball cause stress fractures?

Pickleball is a repetitive sport. That’s why it can cause small cracks in the foot bone and these small fractures are called stress fractures.

What are the old people’s injuries in pickleball?

The old people’s injuries in pickleball are given below.

• Joints pains (wrist, shoulder,knee, ankle)
• Strains
• Sprains
• Falls
• Fractures

Is it okay to play pickleball everyday?

You can play pickleball on a regular basis but you must know that your body needs rest. So focus on resting your body and then play as you want.

Is pickleball hard for your knees?

The knee injuries are very common among all the racket sports. So it can also affect the pickleball players. The common knee injuries in pickleball are given below.

• Ligamentous injuries
• Sprains of knees
• Meniscal injuries