Injury Prevention for Pickleball Players

Pickleball injuries rose in step with participation. The top four, in order: Achilles strains and tears, rotator cuff issues, tennis elbow, and ankle sprains. Almost all are preventable with basic habits.

Footwear first. Court shoes, not runners. Runners have a soft heel and grippy sole that catches on lateral pushes — the #1 cause of Achilles tears in the sport. Replace court shoes every 60–80 hours of play; the lateral support wears out long before the tread does.

Warm up like you mean it. 5 minutes of easy jogging or shadow footwork, 2 minutes of dynamic stretching (leg swings, arm circles, hip openers), and 10 minutes of slow dinking and mid-court volleys before any competitive play. Cold-starting into hand battles is how shoulders get hurt.

The backpedal is the enemy. Never run backward for a lob. Turn, run forward, and hit an overhead or let it bounce. Most Achilles tears happen during backpedals.

Elbow care. Tennis elbow in pickleball is almost always a paddle problem — grip too small, paddle too heavy, or a stiff face causing shock. If your elbow hurts, size up your grip (add an overgrip), check paddle weight (under 8 oz for elbow-sensitive players), and consider a softer paddle face.

Shoulder care. Serve motions and overheads stress the rotator cuff. Basic band exercises 3× a week — external rotations, Y-T-W raises — take 10 minutes and prevent most issues.

Recovery: hydrate before and during play (not just after), sleep 7+ hours the night before a tournament, and take at least one full rest day per week. Playing 5+ days a week without rest is the fastest path to overuse injury.