By Jeremy Merchant
Summary:
As pickleball continues to grow in popularity across Florida, doctors and therapists are seeing a rise in injuries among older adults. While the sport offers major physical and social benefits, experts say seniors should treat pickleball like real exercise by warming up properly, wearing the right footwear, and paying attention to pain signals.
Over the last several years, the sport of Pickleball has taken the country by storm, becoming a staple pastime for people of all ages. At its core, Pickleball is designed to be a slower, smaller, and softer version of tennis.
For many older Floridians, especially older adults, that is still part of the appeal. The court is smaller than tennis, the pace is social, and the learning curve is friendly enough for retirees, grandparents, and active adults who may not have played a competitive sport in years.
But as pickleball courts are built and being filled across Florida, doctors and researchers are seeing the other side of the boom: more sprains, fractures, falls, tendon injuries, low back flare-ups, and shoulder problems among older players.
The sport remains a valuable way for seniors to stay active, connected, and physically engaged. The concern is not that older adults are playing pickleball, but that jumping into a fast, stop-and-start sport without the conditioning, footwear, recovery, or body awareness is leading to widespread injuries.
A Fast-Growing Sport With an Older Player Base
As we mentioned, pickleball has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States for several years. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association reported that pickleball participation grew 51.8% from 2022 to 2023 and 223.5% over three years.
Florida has become one of the sport’s major hubs thanks to its warm weather, retirement communities, public recreation centers, and active adult neighborhoods. These factors have made the state a natural home for year-round pickleball play.
That growth has brought real benefits, including older adults getting outside more, meeting friends, improving balance, and staying active in a way that feels fun instead of clinical.
But emergency room data shows that injuries have climbed alongside participation.
A 2020 study in The Journal of Emergency Medicine estimated roughly 19,000 pickleball-related injuries per year in the United States, with people age 50 and older accounting for 90.9% of patients. The most common injuries were strains or sprains at 28.7% and fractures at 27.7%.
A later study looking at senior pickleball and tennis injuries found that among older pickleball players, strains, sprains, and fractures were the leading diagnoses.
Why Do Pickleball Injuries Hit Older Adults Differently?
Pickleball is often described as low-impact, but low-impact does not mean low-risk.
The sport still requires quick direction changes, twisting, lunging, backpedaling, reaching, bending, and sudden stops. All of these movements, while normal for younger people, can be tough on older joints, especially for players with old injuries, arthritis, balance issues, reduced flexibility, or lower bone density.
Researchers have found that older adults, especially those between 60 and 79, face higher odds of wrist and hand injuries, fractures, and fall-related injuries while playing pickleball.
That helps explain why many injuries happen during ordinary plays, not dramatic collisions.
- A player reaches too far for a ball.
- A foot catches during a lateral step.
- A quick pivot irritates the knee.
- A fall onto an outstretched hand causes a wrist fracture.
- A weekend tournament turns into days of calf, hip, or low back pain.
For older adults, the issue is often not one single movement, but instead, the combination of repeated play, fast movements, limited warm-up, and tissue that may not recover as quickly as it did 20 years ago.
The Most Common Problem Areas
While injuries can happen anywhere, pickleball tends to stress a few areas repeatedly.
Wrists and Hands
Falls are a major reason wrist and hand injuries show up in the data. When a player trips or loses balance, the natural reaction is to reach out and catch the fall.
Knees, Ankles, and Calves
Pickleball involves constant side-to-side movement that can aggravate knees, ankles, calves, Achilles tendons, and plantar fascia, especially when players wear running shoes instead of court shoes.
Shoulders and Elbows
Repetitive paddle swings can irritate the shoulder, elbow, and forearm. Players who overhit, play too often, or lack upper-body mobility may start to feel soreness that does not go away between games.
Low Back, Hips, and Sciatica
The bending, rotating, and lunging involved in pickleball can also irritate the lower back and hips. For some older players, that pain may travel into the glutes or legs, creating symptoms similar to sciatica.
That does not always mean the sport caused a brand-new condition. In many cases, pickleball exposes movement restrictions, fascia tension, nerve irritation, or old compensation patterns that were already there.
The Cost Is Getting Attention Too
The rise in pickleball injuries has also drawn attention from health care analysts. UBS estimated that pickleball-related injuries could cost Americans between $250 million and $500 million in medical costs in 2023, much of it tied to older adults and outpatient care.
That does not mean pickleball is bad for seniors. Inactivity carries its own major health risks.
The better takeaway is that older players need to treat pickleball like a real sport, not just a casual backyard activity.
How Older Players Can Lower Their Injury Risk
Most pickleball injuries are not unavoidable. Small changes can very often make a major difference.
Best practice for older players is:
- Warm up before playing, not after the first game
- Wear court shoes designed for lateral movement
- Avoid backpedaling when possible
- Build up playing time gradually
- Take rest days between longer sessions
- Stretch calves, hips, shoulders, and forearms
- Work on balance and leg strength off the court
- Stop playing through sharp, radiating, or worsening pain
The biggest mistake is ignoring early warning signs.
A sore calf, tight hip, irritated shoulder, or low back ache may seem minor at first. But if the same pain returns every time someone plays, the body is signaling that something needs attention.
When Pain Does Not Go Away After Pickleball
For many older adults, rest and basic stretching are enough. But when pain lingers, keeps returning, or starts changing how someone walks, bends, sleeps, or plays, it may be time to look beyond simple soreness.
That is where treatment options like medical massage, fascia work, and targeted manual therapy can become part of the recovery plan.
When it comes to specific injuries, Juan Chanelo, a St. Pete medical massage therapist and owner of Better Body Medical Massage, reported that “One of the most common injuries we are seeing from our clients who play pickleball is knee issues.”
Juan expanded on this, explaining that “Either they are experiencing knee issues after playing or during. Many people who play under pain are actually doing more harm, not always physically, but definitely to their nervous system.”
For pickleball players, that matters because pain is not always isolated to the spot that hurts. A low back flare-up may involve the hips. Sciatic symptoms may be tied to irritated fascia and nerve sensitivity. Shoulder pain may connect to the neck, ribs, or upper back.
Now, according to Mr. Chanelo, playing through the pain can be problematic as well:
“When you move quickly with discomfort, you are training your nervous system to stay guarded, leading to tighter muscles and a more sensitive area, causing range of motion and pain to increase and last longer.”
For older adults dealing with stubborn pain, restricted movement, or recurring pickleball-related flare-ups, a medical massage can be a great step towards getting back to activity safely.
The Goal Is Not to Scare Seniors Off the Court
Pickleball is actually helping a large number of older Floridians stay active, social, and competitive, which is worth protecting.
The answer here is not for seniors to stop playing, but rather for players, families, recreation centers, and health providers to take the injury trend seriously.
For older adults, pickleball works best when it is treated as real exercise. That means warming up, recovering properly, listening to pain signals, and getting help when discomfort becomes a pattern.
Florida’s pickleball boom is not slowing down anytime soon. With the right preparation and care, older players can keep enjoying the game without letting preventable injuries take them off the court.
Key Points:
- Pickleball participation is rapidly increasing among older adults
- Seniors account for many pickleball-related injuries nationwide
- Common injuries include sprains, fractures, knee pain, and low back issues
- Quick movements and falls can be harder on aging joints and muscles
- Proper warm-ups, recovery, and court shoes can reduce injury risk
- Experts warn against playing through persistent pain
