DETROIT (WXYZ) — Pickleball may have a funny name, but the injuries are no joke. All of those quick, sharp movements can take a toll, especially if your body is not ready to play.
It's the fastest-growing sport in America, and while pickleball may look easy, physical therapists say it can challenge your body and ways you don't expect.
Watch Keenan Smith's report below
Ethan Santoro certainly didn't; he skis, mountain bikes, hikes and plays just about any sport you can name. So he thought pickleball would be pretty simple.
"I had anticipated it to be really easy. It was a little bit more difficult than I kind of anticipated," Ethan told me.
Why? Because pickleball isn't about how much or how far you move; it's about how you move.
Derek Chan is a physical therapist at the Henry Ford Center for Athletic Medicine. He says that even experienced athletes need to adjust to a new sport.
"You have quick stops and starts," Chan said. "You have movements that maybe they are not use to where they have to back pedal to get a lob that comes overhead or maybe they're reaching down."
Those movements can be surprising. Running, cycling or hiking may keep you fit, but they don't necessarily prepare you to shuffle side-to-side, stop on a dime, or backpedal for a lob.
"So they can be a very athletic person, but because it's a motion that they are not used to, their body might not be able to handle it and then they get an injury," Chan said.
And that can lead to ankle rolls, muscle strains, shoulder and elbow pain, even falls and fractures. But you can reduce your injury risk before you step on the court. Chan says you should train your body for the movements the game demands.
"I advocate from a dynamic warm up perspective is a walking knee hug. Right. About 10 times on each side," Chan said, showing me hamstring sweeps using the arms and legs. "And then something with lunging, because there's a lot of lunging in pickleball. So not only forwards, but sideways. Super, super important because of all the lateral emotion."
Perhaps most important is training your body for those quick foot movements with side-steps.
"Remember the old Ickey Shuffle back in the day? Yeah, so a little step, stop. Step, step, step. Stop, step step step," Chan described.
That motion can prevent you from tripping over your feet. Chan says to not reach for the ball; move to the ball. Your legs are stronger than your back, and you're far less likely to lose your balance. Chan recommends spending 5-10 minutes warming up before you even pick up a paddle.
"Because the temptation, as soon as you have the paddles, you're going to start playing right away," Chan said.
He also recommends wearing court shoes designed for movement in all directions instead of running shoes, taking breaks before fatigue sets in, and not ignoring pain that changes the way you walk or move. Because Pickleball isn't just attracting retirees anymore; it's attracting just about everybody, even 20-somethings like Ethan.
"I would play it again, I would recommend it," he said.
And that's exactly what Chan wants, not for people to avoid the game, just to be ready for its physical demands.
"The benefits really outweigh the risk. It gets you out there. Socialization, moving is great," Chan said.
If you haven't moved in a while, soreness is not uncommon but pain isn't part of the game. Make sure you take breaks to avoid those small injuries from becoming a bigger deal.
