Austin-area doctors seeing more pickleball injuries. Here's how to avoid them
Warning: Pickleball can hurt you.
Not in a "you're going to die" kind of way, but in a sprained ankle, tweaked elbow kind of way.
Pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in the United States according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, is a combination of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong. It's played using a paddle and a plastic ball with holes on a modified tennis court or a badminton-size court.
Justin Tanton, a doctor of physical therapy and the clinical director at the Liberty Hill location of Texas PT Specialists, said about 20 people have come to him with injuries because of pickleball in the past two years. He said he can't think of another recent sport that has had quite this wave of injuries, but also popularity.
He's seen broken wrists and hand fractures from people falling on their arms. He's seen shoulder strains, and ankle and knee sprains. He's seen tennis elbow (which maybe in this case can be called pickleball elbow) from overuse. He's even seen someone with a concussion from falling on their head during a game.
The injuries are happening to people who haven't been active in this way before and those who are overusing joints by playing for hours, Tanton said.
"They are jumping in with friends for all the hype," he said of the people he's seen with pickleball injuries.
Tanton, who plays basketball and lifts weights, said even he jumped into the pickleball craze at a bar.
He definitely felt it the next day because it used muscles he wasn't used to using and incorporated movements he doesn't usually make.
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How to avoid a pickleball injury
Consider an assessment. A physical therapist can do an assessment and give you exercises to build strength and agility before you play.
Warm up. Before you pick up the paddle and start playing, get your body warmed up with stretching of the arms and legs and movement. It should be enough to break a light sweat, Tanton said.
Practice the movements. Pickleball uses a lot of running back and forth and side to side. Practice drills with those movements. Work on balance by standing on one leg, then the other. Also practice reaching overhead, swinging the arms down and swinging the arms across the body, much like the movements you make when you swing the paddle. Break down the movements you will make into small pieces to build strength.
Engage in strength training exercises. Lifting weights or using your body weight to build up the muscles around the joints can help prevent injury.
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Practice playing first. Don't rush right into a game, where the competitive spirit takes over. Toss the ball back and forth with easy volleys to a friend.
Build up to playing a full game. Don't think the first time you're going to play for a two-hour stretch. Start with 30 or 45 minutes the first time.
Be dressed for success. Pickleball in flip-flops is a bad idea. You should have comfortable, supportive athletic shoes. Wear clothing that is made for movement.
Check in with your body. How does it feel during the game? How does it feel the next day? If it hurts, if it's sore, that's a sign to build up your strength and flexibility.
If it hurts, stop. If the injury is really bad, such as not being able to walk on it or lift something, seek medical attention. If not, take a break until the pain subsides. Then begin building back up to playing again.
Don't overdo it. Hours and hours of playing day after day can cause overuse injuries. Give yourself rest breaks, limit the amount of hours you play each day, and take days off.
Tanton definitely isn't saying you shouldn't play pickleball.
"The benefits do outweigh the risk," he said. "People should enjoy some play time."
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Area doctors seeing more pickleball injuries. Here's how to avoid them
