Performance Therapy for Pickleball Injuries
Benefits of Performance Therapy for Pickleball Players
Pickleball is a very popular and rapidly growing sport. Given its ease of play and low impact nature, it can be an enjoyable way for people of all ages to stay active and fit, and help to promote a healthy lifestyle. As with all sports, there is a risk for injury. Common injuries we see are elbow, shoulder, knee, hip and low back pain. Pickleball involves quick movements, agility, and coordination. A performance therapist at Breathe In Motion can evaluate how you move, identify areas of weakness and imbalance, and help address these issues to prevent injury, enhance performance, and unlock your full potential.
What makes Performance Therapy So Beneficial for All Pickleball players
Injury Prevention: A Performance Therapist evaluates how you move and can identify areas of weakness and imbalance. A performance therapist is able to create a plan of care that specifically caters to pickleball players to perform efficiently, safely, and to their fullest potential.
Strength and Agility: Pickleball involves quick movements, rapid change of direction, and physical power. A performance therapist is able to skillfully design a strengthening program to target muscles involved in pickleball to enhance your performance.
Flexibility and Mobility: Flexibility and range of motion are essential for pickleball players to reduce the risk of injury and play to their fullest. If mobility is limited, you are not able to move into/out of various positions safely. Injuries typically happen when a muscle or joint is stretched or strained beyond its capacity, which is why it is important to ensure joints are able to move into an efficient amount of range to play pickleball safely. Utilizing a performance therapist to educate you on how to improve your personal mobility without “over-stretching” is so beneficial.
Balance and Coordination: Pickleball requires good balance and coordination. A performance therapist is able to skillfully design sport specific exercises to improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and core support to thrive in your performance. Working to improve a player's balance and coordination, can reduce the risk of falls and other accidents on the court.
Warm up & Recovery: A performance therapist is able to create a recovery plan for you. A plan to ensure safe pre activity warm up and post activity recovery. A performance therapist is able to utilize manual hands on skills like cupping, deep tissue work, and joint mobilization to help you take care of your body.
Equipment Adjustments: A performance therapist can assess your footwear or bracing equipment to ensure they are properly supporting your needs.
Technique & Form: Learning and practicing proper technique and form is vital in preventing injuries. This includes using the correct footwork, maintaining good posture, and executing shots with proper body mechanics.
Pickleball is a dynamic and fun sport for players of all ages. However, injuries can hinder the enjoyment and progress of the game. Through the guidance of a skilled performance therapist, pickleball players can take proactive steps to prevent common injuries. Players can reduce their risk of sprains, strains, and overuse injuries by focusing on strength, flexibility, agility, while fixing asymmetries in the body through corrective exercise. Whether you're a casual player or a competitive player, integrating performance therapy into your pickleball routine can be essential for the longevity of your pickleball game, injury and pain free. We would love to help you out at Breathe In Motion to keep you in the game! Reach out today.
References:
Surgery, 1Department of Orthopedic. (n.d.). Pickleball: Review and clinical recommendations for this... : Current sports medicine reports. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/Fulltext/2020/10000/Pickleball__Review_and_Clinical_Recommendations.8.aspx?context=LatestArticles
Greiner, N. (2019). Pickleball: Injury considerations in an increasingly popular sport. Missouri medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6913863/