Every second player encounters injury once in every physical sport. Likewise, the danger of injuries with pickleball is not uncommon. It occurs not through falling, but it can also happen during sudden turns or pivot movements.
In this article, we will discuss all the common pickleball injuries that you may face during play.
Related: What are the common Pickleball mistakes?
Injuries Regarding Pickleball Play
These some common pickleball injuries will help you to find out your problem and its prevention as well. Let’s discuss these things briefly.
Pickleball Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is evident in racket sports like pickleball. You have to play pickleball with a paddle, and your shoulder movements are involved.
Sometimes the heavy weight of the paddle or your less physical strength may cause pain in your shoulders.
Ignoring this pain may cause inflammation and reduce your shoulder’s mobility to full range.
Pickleball Knees Injuries
During play, sometimes you take turns abruptly, which affects collateral ligaments. Knee injuries range from aches of the knees to ligamentous and meniscal injuries.
Can you play pickleball with bad knees?
The doctors advise not to bear weight and start physical therapy if needed.
Achilles Tendonitis
Pickleball players are not unaware of the term Achilles Tendinitis. It is ubiquitous for pickleball players; they often encounter this complication.
It refers to stress/strain on the lower leg that affects the calf and heel tissues.
In Achilles tendonitis, you will face pain in the middle or lower calf and swelling in the affected area.
Pickleball Wrist Pain
Wrist sprain/aches are also a very common complication in pickleball players. Sometimes, it occurs due to using a heavyweight paddle and spending more time on the ground.
Pickleball Elbow Pain
When you see this, the first term clichés your mind is Tennis Elbow. Yes, you are thinking right; this term is very similar.
It happens when your elbow is overused. Constantly putting stress on the elbow may become a potential injury.
Pickleball Heel Bruise
While playing pickleball, bruising can occur in the heel area due to stiffness or pain occurring while walking.
Pickleball Injuries Statistics
Before giving you protection guidelines, I will tell you some statistics related to Pickleball injuries. It will help you to keep your intention on protective measures.
Here is the deal.
Pickleball-related Slip/Trip/Fall/Dive injury mechanisms prevailed (63.3, 95% CI = 57.7–69.5%).
The prominent pickleball-related diagnoses were aches/strains/sprains (33.3, 95% CI = 27.79–39.46%), fractures (28.1, 95% CI = 24.28–32.399%) and contusions (10.6, 95% CI = 8.0–14.09%).
Older men were three-and-a-half times more prone than women to suffer a pickleball-related sprain (Odds Ratio 3.48, 95% CI = 2.2–5.59).
Women were over three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer a fracture (OR 3.68, 95% CI = 2.29–5.7) compared to men and nine times more disposed to suffer a wrist fracture (OR 9.3 95% CI = 3.6–23.9). Configurations of tennis and pickleball injuries were primarily similar.
How To Prevent From Pickleball Injuries
It’s true; prevent the injuries instead of treating them. We will discuss some prevention suggestions.
Regular Exercises
While playing sports, sports nutrition and physical fitness play an essential role. Sports nutritionists always advise you to exercise your regular habit, whether playing games or not.
To be physically fit, you have to exercise regularly. The players have a sedentary lifestyle, then play pickleball, face shoulder strains, fatigue, muscle twists, etc.
Proper Shoe Wear
Best shoes to protect your Achilles for pickleball?
Choosing comfortable clothing, specifically shoe wear, is very important. Your sudden movements may cause strain/aches in knees or ankle joints; so you must wear pickleball shoes with a rubber sole to prevent this.
Do you want to know more what to wear to play Pickleball?
Stay Hydrated
Remember, your health should be your priority if you want to win the game. Keep water bottles in your bag to stay hydrated enough.
Warm-up Exercises
The exercise before playing pickleball is a beautiful part of escaping from injuries. When you do warm-ups before playing pickleball, you prepare for the game, and your mind signals your body to be ready.
These warm-ups include light jogging, jumping, hip curves, arm swings, etc.
For more detail about these exercises, read our article Warm-up Exercises for Pickleball. You will get all information you desire, and its importance will be exposed.
Strengthening Exercises
To strengthen your muscles and whole body, you must do some regular exercises to boost your body.
These include knee push-ups, planks, side plank practices, and bodyweight squats.
Cool-down Exercises
To be physically fit, and get ready to play again, you must participate in excellent down exercises. It will reduce the risk of pickleball strain, knee aches, swelling, and Achilles tendinitis.
These exercises include,
- Gentle walk
- Arm stretches
- Toe touch
- Quad stretches.
Wear Pickleball Wrist Brace
A wrist brace is like a band around your wrist that stabilizes the joints and prevents them from injuries.
When choosing a wrist splint, preferably one without a thumb hole, it might not be delightful to you.
The women players mostly use this wrist splint as they are more susceptible to bone injuries, especially arthritis and osteoporosis.
Protection of Eyes
I will advise you to remember to wear eye protectors while going like you bring a paddle with you.
It should be mandatory like other court rules.
According to National Library of Medicine, 6 lac eye injuries results per year as a result of sports. As eyes are your precious asset, never compromise on them.
Frequently Asked Questions : Pickleball Injuries
Can stretching cause bruising?
It varies according to the type of play. So if you are playing a serious pickleball game, then getting a bruise due to stretching is normal.
Because doing stressful work damages your tissues. Due to this, abnormal bleeding starts and continues. As a result, a bruise develops from severe blood leakage.
Can you bruise your tendon?
When you constantly move the paddle up and down, a strain is automatically put over your elbow. Due to this, some of the tendons in the elbow area can be bruised.
Final Thoughts On Pickleball Injuries
In a nutshell, I will say that injuries are part of our game/sports. It can happen at any stage or game while playing tournaments or practicing. It is, therefore, suggested to take necessary guidelines for timely prevention to overcome such injuries.
I will advise you to exercise regularly, drink plenty of water, and protect your eyes to prevent these common pickleball injuries.
I am Michael Wanner, an experienced and educated expert in the field of pickleball. I hold a degree in Sports Science from Cleveland State University, Ohio, USA. My expertise lies in the technical aspects of pickleball and how to play it effectively. I have spent many years playing and coaching pickleball and have a wealth of knowledge to share with my readers. I am a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their pickleball skills and strategies.
