Year 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of pickleball. Pickleball improves cardiovascular health over time, it’s a fun social game, and it has always been promoted as a low-impact sport. It’s no wonder pickleball is gaining popularity, especially among older adults. 52% of regular pickleball players are 55 years and older.
At a Girls’ Night Out I saw a former colleague. She had a brace on her wrist and forearm. She broke her wrist 10 minutes into playing her first pickleball game. It was only after she injured herself, she learned that pickleball is an injury prone sport.
Pickleball injuries indeed are on the rise, primarily due to the increasing popularity of the sport among older adults. According to a few articles published on the National Library of Medicine website, 85% of all pickleball injuries happen to people who are 60 years and older. The leading injury types are: sprains and strains (33%), fractures (28%), and contusions (10%). Women are 3.5 times more likely than men to suffer a fracture, and 9 times more likely than men to suffer a wrist fracture. Men, on the other hand, are 3.5 times more likely to suffer a strain or a sprain.
What does it mean for you? Be aware of potential injuries and know your body’s limitations. Listen to your body. Pain is a signal to stop the activity. Pickleball involves a lot of repetitive motions, which may cause strains and sprains. The best counteraction to a repetitive motion is a full-body, rebalancing workout, like Essentrics®. Dynamic movements that are working through the full range of motion of your joints and muscle chains of your body are a much more effective way to rebalance your musculoskeletal system than holding static stretches for 20-30 seconds. Essentrics® classes always include sequences that challenge your balance reflexes, and this, combined with the eccentric strengthening (the MOST effective method of muscle training), will help you avoid a fall and a potential fracture.
See you in the next class!