Game On! The Fast-Growing Sport of Pickleball
More than 50 years later, pickleball has become a national obsession. According to The Sports & Fitness Industry Association, in 2021, there were 4.8 million players in the country. As of 2022, USA Pickleball™ listed 10,000 facilities nationwide; the Coachella Valley is home to more than 30 with plans to build additional facilities. In 2018, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden jumped on the pickleball bandwagon hosting the annual Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships, one of the sport’s top competitive events (note: The 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic). For the month of October 2022 and through the championships, the Indian Wells facility temporarily converted 40 tennis courts into pickleball courts for open play.
Pickleball is best described as a hybrid of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. It can be played in a singles or doubles format, although doubles play is more common. Enthusiasts of all ages and skills levels compete using pickleball paddles to serve and rally a wiffle-type ball across the net.
As a fitness regimen, pickleball provides an excellent cardiovascular workout. Among its other health and wellness benefits: improved mood and cognition, better eye-hand coordination, weight loss, increased strength and balance, less stress on the joints, and a strong social community that forges friendships.
Don’t overdo it
The flip side is that pickleball can lead to injury, and the risk is higher for older adults attracted to the game for its ease of play relative to other sports.
PHOTO ref="18315"]“People often think they won’t get injured playing pickleball, but when you’re not anticipating what could happen, that’s when these injuries occur,” says Rajiv Tailor, MD, Board Certified in Sports Medicine and Family Medicine. As Medical Director of the Eisenhower Sports Medicine Clinic on Eisenhower’s main campus in Rancho Mirage, he frequently treats people with pickleball-related injuries.
“We see a lot of patients who have arthritis and it’s extremely common that people have arthritic flareups, especially when they twist the wrong way,” Dr. Tailor says.
Additional complications can range from falls that cause acute traumatic injury, herniated discs, and meniscus tears to the more commonly seen variation of tennis elbow, aka pickleball elbow, rotator cuff damage, strained hamstrings, sprained ankles, and Achilles tendon issues.
“People get out on the court and start playing right away, for hours at a time, so it’s an overuse scenario, whether it’s an inflammation of the shoulder or underlying progressive injury,” Dr. Tailor explains.
“In most cases, if we give it some time and do the appropriate measures — ice, gentle stretching, rest, anti-inflammatories if needed — we should see a recovery, but as we age, the body often doesn’t recover as quickly as we’d like.”
Pain or continuing discomfort is a main indicator that something is not right. In many cases, all that is needed is rehabilitation and rest to assist in the healing process. But if patients don’t take the appropriate interventions, including adequate time to heal, chronic pain may develop.
Injury prevention
To reduce the likelihood of injury, Dr. Tailor recommends that players warm up and cool down with stretching and range-of-motion exercises. Also, to be aware of when their body is signaling them to ease up or take a break. Players with orthopedic conditions like osteoarthritis may also benefit from wearing a functional brace to prevent further aggravation.
Dr. Tailor and his clinical team treat patients with several musculoskeletal conditions using leading-edge non-operative modalities. This includes precise ultrasound guided procedures, which are minimally invasive and significantly reduce pain levels.
“A top priority is to get the correct diagnosis, so we know how to most effectively treat an injury or condition,” Dr. Tailor says.
To contact the Eisenhower Sports Medicine Clinic, call 760.837.8731 or visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Sports.
Public Pickleball Courts in the Coachella Valley
Desert Hot Springs: 66150 Cactus Drive, four outdoor courts
Indio: Indio Community Center, 45871 Clinton Street, two indoor courts
La Quinta: Fritz Burns Park, 78100 Francis Hack Lane, eight outdoor courts
Palm Desert: Freedom Park, 77400 Country Club Drive, eight outdoor courts
Cahuilla Park, 45825 Edgehill Drive, four outdoor courts
Palm Desert Civic Center, 43900 San Pablo, three indoor courts
Palm Springs: Demuth Park, 4365 Mesquite Avenue, 12 outdoor courts
James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, 480 W. Tramview Road, two indoor courts
Rancho Mirage: Rancho Mirage Community Park 71560 San Jacinto Drive, two outdoor courts
