Atlantic Coast Chiropractic

Pickleball is a recreational sport growing in popularity in the US. In fact, it's becoming one of the fastest growing sports in America, and in the past three years, the player number has soared from 3.5 to 8.9 million! It's easy to learn, promotes competitiveness and socialization, and is an excellent form of low-impact exercise. Unfortunately, pickleball is not without risk, and a game can result in injury. 

In 2021, researchers looked at data from emergency department visits between 2010-2019 and identified nearly 29,000 pickleball related injuries among older adults. The most common diagnoses involved sprain/strains (32%) fractures (28%) and contusions (10%) with older men 3.5 times more likely than older women to suffer a sprain and older women 3.7 times more likely than older men to sustain a fracture, including a nine times greater risk for wrist fracture! These acute traumatic injuries can arise from falls, sudden turning or pivoting movements, getting hit by a racket or a paddle, sudden bending over or hyperextending the spine, rolling an ankle, or running into something or someone.

Because the physical motions are similar to tennis, frequent pickleball players may also be at increased risk for lateral epicondylitis, also known as tennis elbow, a painful condition that occurs when tendons that attach to the elbow become overloaded. Pickleball players may also be at risk for other musculoskeletal conditions associated with repetitive movements, including carpal tunnel syndrome, Achilles tendonitis or Plantar Fasciitis.

As such, in chiropractic offices such as mine, we have begun to notice an influx of patients with both acute traumatic injuries and repetitive stress injuries over time. Treatments will typically involve a multimodal approach that utilizes manual therapies, specific exercises, modalities such as Ultrasound or Shockwave Therapy in an effort to restore pain free motion to the affected area, reduce inflammation, and give the injured site the opportunity to heal. 

Of note, the 2021 study found that 1 in 10 emergency room visits that involved pickleball were due to cardiovascular events. Keep this in mind, if you are getting older and haven't been physically active, talk to your doctor before starting an exercise routine, including pickleball. Additionally, dress appropriately for play, stretch before taking the court, drink plenty of water, and take breaks as needed. Do not push yourself beyond your limits, pace yourself, and focus on having fun and being social with other players. 

If you have any of the issues above feel free to contact our office to see if we can help you with your injuries and get you back on the court pain-free as fast as possible.

Yours in health,

Dr. Anthony Giacalone