With the explosive popularity of pickleball, the number of people suffering injuries related to the sport also continues to rise.
Trent Stensrud, a physical therapist with TRIA in Bloomington, said he continues to treat more and more patients—many of them age 55 and over—for pickleball-related ailments or injuries.
“Especially in people who haven’t been, say, super-active, then they pick up a new sport--It’s pretty common that picking up more activity than what you’re used to leads to more injuries for people,” said Stensrud.
He said the lateral movement—running and sliding side-to-side—that is crucial to the competition of pickleball is what leads to the most injuries.
“By and large, the most common things we see is just your sprains and strains, your overuse type injuries: tendinitis, repetitive-use type of things,” he said.
Doctors and physical therapists recommend players adopt a stretching and exercise routine that helps strengthen parts of the body most taxed by the sport.
“Do some type of lateral or frontal-plain type exercise training for your hips,” said Stensrud. “Some side-stepping, some kind of hopping-type drills, and just having a baseline level of fitness you can kind of work on.”
Still, he recommends preparing your body for the strain of what the sport can bring—so you can stay on the court as much as possible.
“The benefits of pickleball far outweigh the risks,” said Stensrud.