Authors: Therabody Scientists: Tim Roberts, MSc; Kyle Silvey, PhD, CSCS; Michelle Darian, MS, MPH, RD, LDN  

Pickleball is quickly becoming America’s new favorite pastime. This quirky cross between tennis, ping pong, and badminton is bringing a new level of activity back into (or for the first time to) many people’s lives.   

The sport pitches itself as an accessible activity. Courts are popping up everywhere, equipment costs are relatively low, and it’s quicker to learn and less strenuous than other sports like tennis. While pickleball may be more accessible than other sports, a 2020 study published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine estimates that there are around 19,000 pickleball injuries each year in the U.S., with 90% of those cases affecting folks 50 years and older. [1]   

So, if you’re on the pickleball bandwagon, here’s what you need to know about sport-related injuries and what you can do to reduce their likelihood.   

Why is Pickleball Causing More Injuries?  

Many pickleball injuries boil down to a few key concerns. The first one is poor conditioning. In sports medicine, conditioning is the process of preparing your body for a given activity by engaging the muscle groups, energy systems, and patterns of movement that are relevant to the sport. [2]  

During pickleball, you lunge side-to-side to reach the ball and constantly change directions at high speeds. So, if you’re accustomed to exercises like running or weight training, you may be more used to doing an activity in a single direction or position.   

So, when you hit the pickleball court and move your body in a new way, your muscles, tissues, and joints may give up quickly. This is only compounded if you go all into the sport without a proper warm-up or recovery, which is common as pickleball is as competitive as it is social.   

Age can also play a factor. It’s estimated that about 75% of regular pickleball players are 55 years or older. [3] And your agility at 55 may not be what it was when you were 20 (even if you feel like it is). While your brain may signal you to sprint or shuffle, your body may scream in protest.   

What Are Common Pickleball Injuries?  

Common pickleball injuries can look like sprains and strains in the lower body (like ankle, knee, hamstring, hip, and Achilles tendon) and upper body (rotator cuff, neck, and wrist). Bending over and twisting the upper body during shots can contribute to strains or discomfort in the lower or upper back. [3] 

And, of course, falls from quickly pivoting for a ball can lead to a variety of injuries.  

How To Help Prevent Pickleball Injuries 

Besides slowly entering the world of pickleball (like practicing once a week for an hour versus starting at four days a week for three plus hours), proper warm-up and recovery routines can help to reduce your risk of injuries.  

How To Warm –Up Before Pickleball 

The goal of a warm-up is to improve your range of motion, increase blood flow, increase the temperature of tissues (making them more fluid), and prime the muscles for the movement they’re about to encounter. [5] 

Research shows that warming up is an effective way to reduce the risk of injury. [6] So, make sure to always take about 10 minutes to prime your body for the game ahead.  

Because pickleball is a full-body sport, it’s important to program a warm-up and recovery that cover muscle groups throughout the body. Josh Adams, MS, CSCS, created warm-up and recovery routines for both beginner and advanced pickleball players:  

Beginner Warm-Up 

Advanced Warm-Up 

How To Recover After Pickleball 

After your bout of pickleball for the day, a proper recovery can also help to prevent injuries — as fatigued muscles and joints are more injury-prone. It can also help prevent overuse injuries like tendonitis or stress fractions.  

So, instead of heading home right away or out to eat your pickleball friends, set aside another 10 minutes or so to stretch.  

Beginner Recovery  

Advanced Recovery 

You can also use a Theragun to help you recover. The percussive therapy delivered by these massage guns helps increase blood flow (vital for optimal muscle recovery), reduce muscle tightness and pain, and support muscle strength, flexibility, and power when used after a workout. [7] 

When you connect your Theragun device to the Therabody app, you gain access to hundreds of expert-crafted routines — including one designed to support pickleball recovery. It guides you through exactly where to place the massage gun (and for how long) to target the key muscle groups used in the sport: calves, quadriceps, glutes, lower back, upper back, chest, and so on. (There’s also a guided routine for a pickleball warm-up).  

All Theraguns are compact enough to easily fit in most gym bags, so you can always bring them with you. If you’re on and off the court for hours, you can also use it between matches to give your muscles additional reprieve and keep you excelling on the court for longer. 

Key Takeaways: 

 References