Score Relief From Pickleball Injuries

All across America, people of all ages play the fast-paced, competitive sport of pickleball.

Invented in 1965, the indoor-outdoor sport combines many elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Pickleball players use a paddle to hit a plastic ball with holes over a slightly modified tennis net on a badminton-size court.

Like many other racket sports, pickleball involves repetitive movement and motion of your arms and legs. So, it is important to protect your body from injury.

Shoulder Injuries Common in Racket Sports

Shoulder injuries are common for pickleball and other racket sports. Shoulder pain evolves from tendonitis and bursitis to a tear of the rotator cuff tendon.

The rotator cuff is the group of four muscles and four tendons around the shoulder joint. These muscles and tendons work together to provide the range of motion in the shoulder.

“The unfortunate reality of the rotator cuff is that everyday use can cause tearing and damage,” said Bruce Moseley, MD, of the Baylor College of Medicine. “You don’t necessarily have to do anything wrong or abnormal to get a rotator cuff tear — in many instances it just happens as a consequence of living.” (MedicalXpress)

Pickleball involves swinging a racket overhead. Through this motion, the force generated by the rotator cuff tendon can aggravate or worsen rotator cuff injuries.

Exercises Help Reduce Pain

Rotator cuff tears are not preventable, but stretching and exercising help to maintain the shoulder’s flexibility and strengthen the muscles before playing sports.

“If you warm up and stretch before your activity and ice down afterwards, your shoulder will be better prepared for the activity and will recover quicker,” Dr. Moseley told MedicalXpress.

To help prevent additional pickleball injuries like meniscus tears, tendon ruptures and aggravation of arthritic knees, warm up before and ice down after a game.

To warm up before a game:

• Generate a light sweat, such as a brisk walk, jog or cycling.
• Stretch your shoulders, lower back, leg muscles and joints to try to get them as flexible as possible.

To cool down after a game:

• Put a bag of ice on any body part for 20 minutes if you feel achiness or soreness.
• Take over-the-counter pain relief medications, as directed.

“Consider seeing a physician if you have pain that gets progressively worse in the shoulder or pain that persists for a long time after your activity,” Dr. Moseley told MedicalXpress. “These may be warning signs of a torn rotator cuff tendon, so make sure to get it checked.”

Treatments Vary for Pain, Injury

The severity of the shoulder problems, pain or injury may determine the treatment needed for a full recovery.

The most common symptoms of a partial rotator cuff tear include:

• pain at night, especially when lying on the injured shoulder;
• pain in the shoulder when lifting and lowering the arm or certain range of motion movements; and
• weakness in trying to rotate or lift your arm.

A torn rotator cuff will weaken your shoulder, making normal activities difficult, especially those requiring you to raise your arm.

Sometimes physical therapy reduces the pain from a torn rotator cuff. However, if the pain does not respond to nonsurgical methods or treatments, shoulder arthroscopy or other surgery may be recommended.

Don’t Delay Your Treatment

YourOrthoSolution is a nationwide network of surgeons and sports medicine physicians who specialize in orthopedic care. Our specialists use improved surgical techniques to repair rotator cuffs or other injuries. Many options include less invasive procedures.

When recommending a type of repair, your surgeon will consider factors such as your anatomy, the size of your tear and the quality of the bone and tendon.

Our doctors can also address any other racket sports injuries, like meniscus tears, tendon ruptures and aggravation of arthritic knees.

No matter which type of surgery or procedure is performed, our surgeons always keep the patient in mind and look for the least-invasive and best way to repair your injury.

Do not let pain or an injury keep you from playing pickleball or other sports you enjoy. Find one of our centers near you to request an appointment for an evaluation.