Safety & Injury Prevention on the PickleBall courts
Contrary to popular belief: PickleBall is a Sport.
High Energy, High Impact and Multi-Functionial Dynamic Movements requiring the body's entire kinetic chain of muscles, ligaments, lower body balance and control while simultaneously holding onto a 16 inch 9oz Carbon Fiber weapon attempting to smack or smash a wildly unpredictable flying plastic ball already hit by potentially 3 other non-skilled brand new non-athletic players who are running around on a small cement slab divided by a very low net.
What could possibly go wrong??
If this sounds like a recipe for an injury you are correct.
Just like any sport that involves athletic movement, skills, ability, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, kinesthetic mobility, flexibility, cognitive function, muscle memory etc etc.; players that are not already currently athletic or on a minimal fitness regiment where they are working out with weights, using cardio equipment at home or at a gym, getting regular biking, walking, swimming types of exercise then the risk of injury goes up exponentially as any person that starts to learn and play a new activity or sport like PickleBall.
Factor in excessive body weight issues, prescription & OTC medications for illness or disease prevention, improper warm up, inadequate hydration, natural elements such as excessive sun, heat, hard surfaces, improper footwear, bad technique and habits that carried over from tennis or other previous racquet sports and you now have a recipe for disaster or at the least case an on court injury that is no fun for the person injured and the other players and coaches that are near or on the court participating that have to now deal with a huge waste of time carting your butt off to the side or worse clearing the court for the ambulance and paramedics that have to run out there and wonder what in the hell is happening on the pickleball courts.
Age appropriate & skill level competition tends to alleviate some issues but still isn't an indicator to mitigate potential injuries without proper training and controlled play technique.
Higher At-Risk Individuals: that you should be aware while attempting to play with.
Here is the:
Short List of Major Safety Issues: (that usually result in some type of injuries on a PickleBall Court not in any type of rank or order)
High Energy, High Impact and Multi-Functionial Dynamic Movements requiring the body's entire kinetic chain of muscles, ligaments, lower body balance and control while simultaneously holding onto a 16 inch 9oz Carbon Fiber weapon attempting to smack or smash a wildly unpredictable flying plastic ball already hit by potentially 3 other non-skilled brand new non-athletic players who are running around on a small cement slab divided by a very low net.
What could possibly go wrong??
If this sounds like a recipe for an injury you are correct.
Just like any sport that involves athletic movement, skills, ability, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, kinesthetic mobility, flexibility, cognitive function, muscle memory etc etc.; players that are not already currently athletic or on a minimal fitness regiment where they are working out with weights, using cardio equipment at home or at a gym, getting regular biking, walking, swimming types of exercise then the risk of injury goes up exponentially as any person that starts to learn and play a new activity or sport like PickleBall.
Factor in excessive body weight issues, prescription & OTC medications for illness or disease prevention, improper warm up, inadequate hydration, natural elements such as excessive sun, heat, hard surfaces, improper footwear, bad technique and habits that carried over from tennis or other previous racquet sports and you now have a recipe for disaster or at the least case an on court injury that is no fun for the person injured and the other players and coaches that are near or on the court participating that have to now deal with a huge waste of time carting your butt off to the side or worse clearing the court for the ambulance and paramedics that have to run out there and wonder what in the hell is happening on the pickleball courts.
Age appropriate & skill level competition tends to alleviate some issues but still isn't an indicator to mitigate potential injuries without proper training and controlled play technique.
Higher At-Risk Individuals: that you should be aware while attempting to play with.
- Younger Kids - initially tend to be out of control and aggressive when playing & learning a new game.
- Ex-Athletes & Highly Competitive people tend to be at higher risk to injure themselves or others.
- Idiots.Nimrods.Sociopaths.BoneHeads.Dipstiks.
- Seniors Ages 49+ that have not participated in any sports or high impact fitness related activities for long amounts of time. (Couch Potato)
- Younger Adults 49- that have been playing video games for too long or most of their life.
- Non-Athletic Types. Video Gamers. Couch Potatoes. The basic de-conditioned population.
- Larger or wider humans.
- Uncoordinated people.
- Unsupervised people.
- People who do not fit in their shorts anymore.
- People who fatigue easily.
- People who sweat profusely.
- Any person that has not been medically cleared to chop wood in 100 degree heat.
Here is the:
Short List of Major Safety Issues: (that usually result in some type of injuries on a PickleBall Court not in any type of rank or order)
- Running on the court unnecessarily and/or out of control - basically the root core issue of most injuries.
- Playing with or against considerably lower or conversely advanced levels in a rec or in an ill advised amateur tourney run by amateurs for amateurs of some kind.
- Back Pedaling for fun, practice or in a game or in general.
- Tripping, falling down, diving, uncoordinated movements, running into a fence or turn buckle, coolers, trashcans or debris.
- Wet / Sandy / Slick Surfaces featuring debris, wet socks, crappy shoes, etc etc.
- Joint Injuries like sprained ankles & elbow injuries or bone micro-fractures.
- Knee Injuries (Meniscus & Ligament Tears/ dis/sublocations)
- Paddle/Racquet Accidents (slippery grip, throwing a racquet across the court or up in the air like a graduation cap on purpose of accidentally)
- Swinging a racquet wildly in a drill, warm up, practice or in a game.
- Hitting yourself on the knee, back of the leg, face & head area typically by new players or by players who are out of control.
- Getting hit by another persons flailing racquet.
- Hitting someone else with a racquet accidentally.
- Elevated Heart Rate Problems - typically leads to the majority of bad decisions that lead to inuries plural
- Eye / Facial Injuries - Not the Facial you want to give or recieve
- Hit in the Facial / Head area with ball or racquet - self, opponent, partner or coach inflicted - (Not especially Fun but is a learning moment)
- Chronic Injuries due to Overuse (elbow/ wrist/ knees/ hips/ back/ foot/ fingers/ toes/ neck/ posture issues)
- Playing with malfunctioning Cheap Equipment, cracked paddles, loose grips, lopsided & cracked balls, poorly designed portable nets
- Playing on Courts that are too tight, poorly marked, chalked, temporary tape, too many people standing around & watching, major distractions, airplanes, sirens, cars, trucks, dogs, birds, frogs, ducks & flying balls etc etc.
- Most people can barely play with perfect conditions - adding flooring / surface problems with indoor courts & balls with unconditioned beginner players and you now have the perfect recipe for an injury & more reoccurring injuries
Highly Recommended Advice: Receive Proper Coaching
Injury Prevention
Pickleball has become popular in recent years.
It’s a great source of fun and physical activity. But as I have discussed in another post and video, a pickleball injury can occur.
Injuries like ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis or Achilles tendon ruptures, hamstring or quadriceps muscle strains, shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tears and even wrist fractures do occur.
If you want to play pickleball regularly, take some simple steps to at least decrease your risk of suffering a pickleball injury.
AVOID PLAYING PICKLEBALL ON A WET COURT. It might seem like common sense, but playing pickleball on a wet court sets you up to suffer an injury.
Slipping on the wet surface can cause you to have a sprained ankle, Achilles tendon rupture, or many other injuries. Make sure the court is dry before you start playing.
WARM UP AND STRETCH BEFORE PLAYING. Just like other sports and exercise, stretching before activity is a good idea before you play pickleball. Take a few minutes and stretch your lower and upper body. Stretch your Achilles tendon and calf muscles, quadriceps and hamstrings muscles in your thigh, your hip and groin muscles, lower back, and your shoulder.
WEAR THE CORRECT SHOES. Instead of wearing running shoes that could catch when you plant your foot to change directions, wear the proper court shoes. If you aren’t sure what shoes are best, ask someone experienced in pickleball. You need court shoes that allow you to move around the court in different directions. You must be able to move forward and backpedal without your shoe catching on the floor. The shoe must allow you to slide a little to get to a shot.
USE PROTECTIVE EYE WEAR. Wear goggles or some sort of protective eye wear. As in other sports with balls flying through the air, you can get hit in the eye and suffer an injury that causes you to lose vision.
GET ACHES AND PAINS FROM A PICKLEBALL INJURY CHECKED OUT.
Most of the time, when you have a sore shoulder or ankle without a traumatic injury, it isn’t the result of a serious injury.
Often a little rest, modifying activities for a few days, ice or physical therapy can get you back on the court pain free. It can be worthwhile to see a sports medicine doctor to find out what the cause of your pain is soon after it develops so that you can take steps to get better quickly. Plus, you avoid potentially making an injury worse.
It’s a great source of fun and physical activity. But as I have discussed in another post and video, a pickleball injury can occur.
Injuries like ankle sprains, Achilles tendonitis or Achilles tendon ruptures, hamstring or quadriceps muscle strains, shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tears and even wrist fractures do occur.
If you want to play pickleball regularly, take some simple steps to at least decrease your risk of suffering a pickleball injury.
AVOID PLAYING PICKLEBALL ON A WET COURT. It might seem like common sense, but playing pickleball on a wet court sets you up to suffer an injury.
Slipping on the wet surface can cause you to have a sprained ankle, Achilles tendon rupture, or many other injuries. Make sure the court is dry before you start playing.
WARM UP AND STRETCH BEFORE PLAYING. Just like other sports and exercise, stretching before activity is a good idea before you play pickleball. Take a few minutes and stretch your lower and upper body. Stretch your Achilles tendon and calf muscles, quadriceps and hamstrings muscles in your thigh, your hip and groin muscles, lower back, and your shoulder.
WEAR THE CORRECT SHOES. Instead of wearing running shoes that could catch when you plant your foot to change directions, wear the proper court shoes. If you aren’t sure what shoes are best, ask someone experienced in pickleball. You need court shoes that allow you to move around the court in different directions. You must be able to move forward and backpedal without your shoe catching on the floor. The shoe must allow you to slide a little to get to a shot.
USE PROTECTIVE EYE WEAR. Wear goggles or some sort of protective eye wear. As in other sports with balls flying through the air, you can get hit in the eye and suffer an injury that causes you to lose vision.
GET ACHES AND PAINS FROM A PICKLEBALL INJURY CHECKED OUT.
Most of the time, when you have a sore shoulder or ankle without a traumatic injury, it isn’t the result of a serious injury.
Often a little rest, modifying activities for a few days, ice or physical therapy can get you back on the court pain free. It can be worthwhile to see a sports medicine doctor to find out what the cause of your pain is soon after it develops so that you can take steps to get better quickly. Plus, you avoid potentially making an injury worse.
Injury Prevention Product partners
Protective eyewear
Most sunglass companies have a good selection of shield or wrap type of set up with colored lens options or clear for Indoor Play. Shooting or Range safety glasses are a good option for individuals that have had expensive eye procedures done like lasik and don't want to deal with an accidental eye injury that can be easily prevented.
Tifosi Optics
Shoes
