Preventing Pickleball injuries

Hi everyone, my name is Melissa. I am a physical therapist and a pickleball enthusiast! 

Over the last 5 years, pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. Today, over 5 million people play pickleball on a regular basis, many of whom have not participated in a sport in the previous years or ever!  

Pickleball is a great sport to get into if you have not participated in sports in the past and are looking to do so.  

Although pickleball can have less running and impact than other sports, it is still important to properly strengthen and condition yourself to participate in pickleball. 

Pickleball generally involves making a couple of quick steps forward, backward, and side to side. It also requires repetitive wrist movements to hit the ball. These movements can lead to acute or chronic injuries, most commonly knee pain, hip pain, back pain, Ahilles tendinopathy, and tennis elbow, which is now sometimes even called pickleball elbow!

Don’t let these injuries scare you; there are so many benefits to your health from being active! 

So, how can we prevent these injuries from happening and taking you off the court?  

I would recommend doing a good 5 to 10-minute active warm-up, as well as a good strengthening and 

stretching program for after your activity.

Here’s what I do for my warm-up and stretching/strengthening program: 

Warm-up: wall calf stretch, calf raises, side stepping, walking adductor stretch, wrist extensor 

stretch, hamstring scoops, walking butt kicks 

Stretching: seated hamstring stretch, standing adductor stretch, wall calf stretch, wrist extensor 

stretch 

Strengthening: calf raises (easy: double legs, hard: single leg), hip abduction (easy: standing, 

hard: side lying), hip extension (easy: standing, hard: bridge or on stomach leg lifts), hamstring 

(easy: standing hamstring curls, hard: bridge slow slides), balance (easy: tandem stance, hard: 

single leg stance - always have something nearby to grab onto for safety) 

 *Disclaimer: This is not medical advice but is only for educational/informational purposes. If you are having pain or health-related complaints, please seek out te and develop a plan that is specific to you and your needs. 

I hope to see you on the court… not in our clinic, but if an injury does happen, come see us so we can get you back on the court ASAP!

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You can Schedule an appointment with Melissa at our Appleton North Clinic by calling 920.991.2561

To find a clinic location that is most convenient for you, click here!