Pickleball has become a more popular sport around the world. Especially because the way it is played can include a larger range of physical abilities. For some, pickleball has even been viewed as a preferred pace of play in comparison to the game of tennis. While it seems more safe- pickleball is still a sport -which means that there always is a risk for injury.
As Doctor of Physical Therapy, our professional staff is looking to optimize your movement patterns during the game, so you can play without pain and increase the total amount of years that you play it. This means that they not only want to place your body in a proper anatomical alignment to avoid injury, they also want to help you strive for higher quality movements. This approach, in addition to regular training, can help you improve your game and ability to play with less aches or pains.
In any sport, it is crucial to properly protect your joints. In the game of pickleball, the shoulders, hips and knees experience a large amount of impact during play. For example, we often see that pickeball players have shoulder injuries like rotator cuff tendinitis or shoulder impingement. Similarly, the knee joint can be susceptible to tendonitis or ligament tears. Both can evolve into chronic conditions, if not evaluated and properly treated by a physical therapy. Another important aspect to consider, is your ability to maintain balance during play. A players balance will assist in quick transitions or a sudden change of direction. Unpredictable changes in movement, or a change in the court surface may cause a player to get off-balance. Loosing balance puts a player at risk of falling and a fall could result in a devastating injury for the player. Having better balance will decrease the risk of injuries related to falls as well as improve the fluidity of your movements during the game.
One of the most important things we can do is educate pickleball players on the importance of stretching, along with strength training and improving balance. Our therapists would be able to help you incorporate a routine that includes opportunities to both reduce tension between the muscles, while also enhancing ligament and tendon strength. No matter your current balance level (poor, fair, good) it can be very valuable to continue to practice balance and stability. Please remember that properly progressing these balance exercise is important, especially if you do not feel comfortable doing them on your own. Seek out a medical professional, like your physical therapist as they will be able to help you with personalized attention.
After being evaluated thoroughly by one of our therapists, would be provided a home exercise program that will allow you to practice specific exercises that incorporate stretching, strength training and balance. This program is personalized for you, as your physical therapy designs it so it best reflects the needs for your own body’s mechanics/patterns. The physical therapist would want to ensure that they can properly address any arising issues or pain, as well as teach you how to prevent future ones so you can stay in the game.
Give us a call today at (507) 451-7888.