Pickleball: What You Need to Know About America's Fastest Growing Sport

Course overview

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country. It has claimed over 4.5 million players in the US, just in the past two years. As the number of "picklers" has gone up, so has the number of patients coming into physical therapy with pickleball injuries. Although deemed an "easier" version of tennis, pickleball requires similar mobility and strength as most racket sports. It relies on both static and dynamic structures to provide adequate stability and mobility. It places high demands on both upper and lower extremities. Pickleball requires mobility, strengthening, and plyometric exercises to reduce the risk of injuries, and improve strength and performance. This program will highlight the physical demands placed on a pickleball player, most common injuries during play, treatment strategies for patients returning to pickleball, and injury prevention tactics.