Princeton, NJ Health Care Guide Articles

Pickleball has done something I genuinely love: it has gotten millions of people who stopped exercising back on their feet and having fun. The social connection, the cardio, the competitive spark. As a physician, I am a huge fan.

But here is what nobody in the pickleball world wants to say out loud: injury rates are climbing fast. And the people getting hurt are not beginners. They are the most enthusiastic players, the ones out there four or five days a week, convinced they have finally found the perfect low-impact sport.

Spoiler: it is not as low-impact as it looks.

The three injuries I am seeing most at CORE right now:

Pickleball elbow. Repetitive volleys, backhands and drop shots strain the tendons on the outside of the elbow. It starts as a dull ache you play through, and that is exactly the problem.

Achilles & ankle injuries. Quick pivots and explosive lateral cuts are deceptive. The Achilles give little warning before it goes, and recovery is long.

Knee pain: Osteoarthritis, meniscus and tendon injuries. Stop-and-start movement on hard courts loads aging cartilage in ways players do not expect. I am seeing osteoarthritis exacerbations, patellar tendon pain and meniscus tears across all age groups.

The pattern is almost always the same. Someone discovers pickleball, feels great, plays more, skips rest days because it does not feel hard, and then somewhere around week six or month three, something gives.

The issue is not pickleball. It is that tendons, cartilage, and connective tissue adapt much more slowly than cardiovascular fitness does. You feel ready for more. Your tissues are not there yet.

Three things that actually protect you. Build in at least one rest day between sessions. Strengthen your core and hips since they absorb the load for everything below them. And if something starts aching after play, that is your body asking for attention, not permission to push through.

Most pickleball injuries I treat at CORE are very fixable, especially when caught early. The ones that become serious are the ones that got two months of "I will rest it next week."

If something has been nagging, now is a good time to get it looked at.