The Sport Everyone Loves Is Creating Injuries Everyone Ignores
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America — and on the Treasure Coast, it’s everywhere. The courts in Palm City, the recreation centers in Jensen Beach, the community facilities across Stuart — they’re packed morning to evening.
At Improved Motions Physical Therapy, pickleball injuries now account for a significant portion of our caseload. And the pattern is consistent: players push through pain for weeks or months before seeking help, by which point a minor issue has become a chronic problem.
The 5 Most Common Pickleball Injuries
1. Pickleball Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
The most common injury we see. The repetitive grip-and-swing motion places enormous stress on the forearm extensor tendons. Unlike tennis elbow in younger players, pickleball elbow typically occurs in players aged 50-70, whose tendons have less capacity to absorb repetitive load.
How we treat it: Manual therapy, wrist mobilization, dry needling to release trigger points, eccentric strengthening, cryotherapy after each session, and PEMF therapy for stubborn cases.
2. Shoulder Impingement
Overhead shots — the slam, the serve, the lob — compress the rotator cuff tendons against the acromion. Over time, this creates inflammation, pain, and tendon damage.
How we treat it: Scapular stabilization exercises, rotator cuff strengthening in pickleball-specific positions, manual therapy for thoracic spine mobility, and Graston Technique for fascial restrictions.
3. Achilles Tendinitis
Pickleball’s lateral movements load the Achilles differently than straight-line activities. Add hard concrete court surfaces, and the Achilles takes a beating.
How we treat it: Eccentric calf loading, manual therapy, blood flow restriction training, and Recovery Stacking with cryo for inflammation and red light for tissue repair.
4. Knee Pain & Meniscus Strain
The low, bent-knee position, combined with sudden lateral movements, stresses the meniscus and patellofemoral joint. Players from sedentary backgrounds are particularly vulnerable.
How we treat it: Quadriceps and gluteal strengthening, balance and proprioception training, manual therapy, and BFR training.
5. Low Back Pain
The pickleball playing position — slightly bent forward, rotated, reaching — places sustained stress on the lumbar spine. Players who play multiple times per week accumulate rotational stress.
How we treat it: Functional movement assessment, core stabilization for rotational athletes, manual therapy, dry needling, and post-treatment cryotherapy.
5 Warm-Up Exercises Every Pickleball Player Should Do
- Wrist Circles & Extensor Stretches: 30 seconds each direction. Primes the forearm muscles.
- Shoulder Band Pull-Aparts: 15 reps with a resistance band at chest height. Activates the scapular stabilizers.
- Ankle Circles & Calf Raises: 10 circles each direction, then 15 slow calf raises. Prepares the Achilles.
- Hip Openers (90/90 Stretch): 30 seconds per side. Opens the hips so your low back doesn’t compensate.
- Dynamic Lateral Lunges: 10 per side. Activates glutes, quads, and adductors for lateral movement.
Don’t Wait Until It’s a Chronic Problem
Early intervention at Improved Motions can resolve most pickleball injuries in 4-8 weeks. Waiting turns that into 3-6 months. No referral required. Call (772) 214-4402 or book your evaluation online. Serving pickleball players from Palm City, Jensen Beach, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, and the Treasure Coast.
What Makes Improved Motions Different
- A full hour, one-on-one, every visit. You work with a Doctor of Physical Therapy the whole time. No aides running your session and no other patients sharing your hour.
- Self-pay, so your recovery sets the plan. No insurance visit caps or authorizations. HSA and FSA cards are accepted, and you get a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement. See payment options.
- No referral needed. Florida is a direct access state, so you can book an evaluation directly.
- A Recovery Room under the same roof. Cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen, red light therapy, Normatec compression and PEMF, guided by the same team treating you. See the Recovery Room.
- Advanced, hands-on training. Dry needling, blood flow restriction training, manual therapy and functional movement analysis, led by founder Dr. Michael Mann, PT, DPT.
- 5-star rated by our patients on Google, right here in Stuart and serving the Treasure Coast.
