Avoiding Injuries while Playing Pickleball

CLEVELAND – Playing pickleball can be a great way to stay active.

But the paddle sport, which is less intense than something like tennis, can still cause injuries if you’re not careful.

“We’re seeing a lot of injury patterns similar to tennis,” said Michael Dakkak, sports medicine physician for Cleveland Clinic. “The other thing is that 70% of people that play pickleball are 60 years and older. And, a lot of people are not very active before they pick up pickleball because it doesn’t really require a lot of athletic demand compared to tennis.”

Dr. Dakkak said some of the injuries he’s seen include rotator cuff disease, tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow, and plantar fasciitis.

The same goes for sprains, strains, fractures and concussions.

So, what can someone do to stay safe out on the court?

Dr. Dakkak said be sure to warm up first for ten-to-fifteen minutes.

He recommends trying dynamic stretches with quicker movement to help prime your muscles and get your blood flowing.

Trunk rotation exercises are also helpful.

“As far as specific exercises, I think mimicking the motion of a swing, getting arm windmills involved, or lunges, and split side-to-side turns are important,” he explained.

He said if you aren’t able to warm up 10-15 minutes before playing, then you should only go half speed in your first game and use that as a warmup instead.

Don’t forget to stay hydrated too.