Here’s a breakout of the types of pickleball-related injuries being seen at the Orthopedic Institute:
Knee injuries
As a knee specialist, Dr. Luchetti says that the most common pickleball complaints he sees are those of an inflamed knee. “Many older patients playing pickleball for the first time come to the office with inflammation of a previously arthritic knee,” he says. “Many forget that they’ve had a prior issue with their knee.” He also points to an increase in meniscal tears given the cutting and twisting nature of the sport, as well as ligament sprains and occasional tendon tears of the quadriceps or patellar tendon.
Lower extremity soft tissue injuries
Soft tissue injuries in pickleball are nonsurgical issues but very common. These include calf strains, hamstring and quad strains, and hip flexor strains. They commonly occur because pickleball athletes are firing tight muscles they haven’t used in years. One soft tissue injury that needs surgical intervention is that of an Achilles tendon rupture.
Foot and ankle injuries
The most common injury seen in this area is that of a “high” or “low” ankle sprain as a result of an inversion injury (ankle rolls inward) or eversion injury (ankle rolls outward). These injuries involve tearing or partial tearing of important ligaments surrounding the ankle and are caused by the extreme cutting nature and side-to-side movement required in pickleball. They are typically treated without surgery but can cause lingering pain for weeks.
Shoulder and elbow injuries
As in tennis, the repetitive nature of the swing in pickleball can lead to shoulder pain in the form of rotator cuff injuries and elbow pain in the form of lateral epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow.” These two injuries can cause debilitating pain that can be very persistent if a player does not seek the proper care.
Low back injuries
Given the extensive twisting and turning required for pickleball play, as well as the requirement to “get low,” low back injuries are quite common in the form of simple lumbar strains, or even a significant flare-up of sciatica.