Top 3 Pickleball Injuries (& How to Prevent Them)

Pickleball is a fun and inclusive sport that attracts a wide range of players. It is becoming increasingly popular among the over-50 crowd as a low-impact way to stay active. But, just because pickleball is relatively accessible and safe doesn’t mean it’s free from risk.

Of course, minor bruises and bumps are part of playing a sport. But debilitating injuries are possible in pickleball. These pickleball injuries are becoming more common as more people of all ages and abilities take up the game. Thankfully, most of these injuries are preventable with the right warm-ups, preparation, and self-care habits.

Avoid These 3 Pickleball Injuries for a Better Game

1. Pickleball Elbow

   Like golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow, pickleball elbow is an injury due to overuse of the swinging arm. The repetitive motion used to swing your pickleball paddle puts stress on the elbow joint and leaves small tears in the tendons – especially if you don’t have proper form or already suffer from elbow pain.
   
   You’ll know you have pickleball elbow if your elbow feels red, inflamed, painful, sore, aching, or stiff. The pain usually worsens during or after a game, or with movement in general.
   

   
   How to Prevent Pickleball Elbow

   Maintaining proper form is essential to avoiding pickleball elbow. Be sure to give your elbow plenty of rest after playing and apply CBD Sports Recovery Gel to prevent excessive inflammation.
   
   

2. Shoulder Strain

   Both the elbow and shoulder are vulnerable to overuse when playing pickleball. Shoulder issues usually involve pain, strain, or injury to the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is a complex joint that connects various muscles, tendons, and ligaments together, allowing for the full motion of the shoulder joint. Because pickleball requires lots of rotation and momentum coming from the rotator cuff, it’s commonly overextended, which causes pain and injury.
   

   
   How to Prevent Shoulder Strain

   Warm up well before every practice and game. A tight, cold shoulder is more likely to experience tears during game play. With proper warm ups and shoulder strengthening exercises, you’ll be able to move more freely, use more power, and avoid potentially harmful injuries. If you’re already experiencing pain, use CBD Sports Recovery Gel several times throughout the day to ease inflammation and encourage healing of the shoulder tissues.
   
   

3. Heel Bruising
   

   Heel bruising is commonly seen in both amateurs and veteran picklers. It typically develops over time as the fat pad that surrounds the heel gets worn down from repetitive contact with the hard court. As the fat pad diminishes, the heel bone places more pressure on the skin and muscles and bruising occurs. It is exacerbated by digging one’s heels into the court to turn, spin, and lunge.
   You’ll know you have heel bruising if you see visible bruising on the heel, or if you feel pain whenever you put pressure on your heels.
   

   
   How to Prevent Heel Bruising

   Avoid heel bruising by wearing the proper footwear when playing pickleball. Soft shoe inserts can help relieve the hard pressure from the court and reduce heel pain while playing. Foot and ankle exercises can also help strengthen the foot and prevent overuse injuries like this. To keep inflammation low and reduce pain while playing, apply a layer of CBD Sports Recovery Gel to your heel before putting on your shoes. Rest and elevate your feet after each game.
   

Prevent Pain and Injuries with CBD Sports Recovery Gel 

If you love the game, but don’t love the pain, CBD can help. These and other pickleball injuries can be easily avoided with proper form, practice, warm-up, rest, self-care, and CBD. CBD gel helps to alleviate pain when used regularly and can stop inflammation from worsening these and other common pickleball injuries.

Get your Unstoppable CBD Sports Recovery Gel now to stay in tip-top pickleball shape!