Intermountain Health Experts Provide Tips to Staying Safe While Playing Pickleball

20 million Americans playing are now playing pickleball, making it one of the nation’s fastest growing sport. But Intermountain Health experts have also noticed an increase in number of patients coming into emergency departments and doctors’ offices with serious injuries.

“We’re seeing a lot of lower body injuries like severe ankle sprains, knee and joint problems, along with a lot of strained muscles,” said Andy Mohr, a physical therapist at Intermountain Health. “We’re excited to see so many people enjoying a sport that’s great for physical health, but we want to make sure people aren’t going beyond their body’s limit.

Mohr says injury prevention is about more than just stretching before and after a match.

As people age, muscles in certain parts of their body like the ankle and knee can start to break down and weaken. This is especially true if players haven’t been recently active.

In some cases, people may need to do some basic physical therapy exercises to strengthen their lower body.

This is especially important in the knee and ankle because of the starts and stops people make while playing pickleball.

“By building your muscles and getting your body used to playing it, helps you adjust to the new routine and get stronger,” said Mohr. “We don’t want to discourage people from playing we just want to make sure their body can keep up so they can continue to stay active on and off the court.”

Mohr notes it’s not just lower body injuries that are on the rise, but also the number of overuse injuries in the shoulders and elbow.

“The repetitive back and forth of quickly swinging paddle can begin to take a toll on the joints and muscles. It’s important to listen to our body when we start to feel something isn’t right and slow down,” said Mohr. “The good news is some basic stretches and exercises can often get us back to be active quickly.”

For more information on Intermountain Health’s physical therapy services, click here.