Being an active pickleball player can certainly benefit your physical and mental health. Regular physical activity has been linked to improved cognition, weight maintenance, bone and muscle strengthening and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
But the Kitchen also comes with its fair share of bumps and bruises, and pickleball’s popularity among older demographics factors into injuries sustained in the sport. UBS analysts estimated last year that pickleball injuries would total $250 million to $500 million of medical costs in 2023.
Pickleball Injury Prevention Seminar
New York-based Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) serves as the official hospital of Major League Pickleball and is a founding sponsor of Pickleball America in Stamford, Connecticut. HSS hosted a Pickleball Injury Prevention Seminar last month at Pickleball America. Speakers included Dr. Joshua Dines, a sports medicine and shoulder surgeon at HSS and medical director of Major League Pickleball.
NoVolleys attended the seminar to get more insights into pickleball injuries and their prevention.
“There was an article in The Wall Street Journal talking about the cost of pickleball, the cost of all these hip replacements,” Dines said at the event. “It wasn’t pickleball that caused it. It was maybe being more active, which I wouldn’t say is a bad thing that led to this. So it’s not a true cause and effect.”
That said, here are some tips the HSS medical team recently shared to help prevent injuries in pickleball.
Play in the Right Shoes, Eyewear
“It’s important to have proper court shoes. Running shoes have a curve to it, which helps propel you forward. That’s not what we want in pickleball, we want a stable flat base,” said Dr. Carl Cirino, a sports medicine surgeon at HSS who specializes in shoulder, elbow and rotator cuff injuries.
Brands such as Nike, Asics, Skechers, and Wilson have begun marketing shoes designed for pickleball, but Cirino warns consumers not to be limited to these options.
“When you’re buying shoes, they don’t have to be pickleball specific. A tennis court shoe, squash court shoe—something with flat sturdy bottoms to avoid tripping and falling,” he said.
Cirino also stressed the importance of wearing protective glasses to avoid eye injuries in pickleball, a stance shared by top pros such as World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters.
“Everyone in pickleball should be wearing eye protection due to the speed that the ball is being hit at such close proximity,” Waters wrote on X earlier this month.
One of the leading providers in the athletic eyewear space is RIA Eyewear, which has gear sponsorships with pickleball pros Mary Brascia, Maggie Brascia and Erik Lange.
Try These Strength Training Exercises
Matt Naftilan, a physical therapist at HSS Sports Rehab Provided by Stamford Health, recommended taking part in strength training exercises at least two to three times per week to build muscle for avoiding injuries in pickleball.
Naftilan highlighted lunges, deadlifts, and lateral band walks as exercises to target your quads, hamstrings, and hips.
“The deadlift is a particularly good exercise for pickleball since it works on your balance and your posterior chain,” Naftilan said.
Bone fractures related to pickleball increased 200% over the last 20 years, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) said last month.
AAOS analyzed a government database of injuries from 2000-2022 and found most fractures occurred in pickleball players ages 60-69. Common pickleball-related fractures occur in the hip, wrist, femur, and lower-leg.
Heel raises and glute bridges are other lower-body exercises recommended by Naftilian, as well leg raises for abdominal core strength. Wrist fractures are a common pickleball injury sustained by older people falling during play, which is why Naftilian recommends adding a balance progression routine to your workouts.
“It’s super important for avoiding falls. If you’re not able to hold a balance standing on one leg for thirty seconds, then it’s probably something you need to work on,” Naftilian said.
