Southwest Florida is a pickleball paradise. “So, what we've seen with pickleball is a lot of people that are, you know, feel like they can no longer play tennis, but now they're playing pickleball, they go out and their feet don't move quite as well as they used to and they trip and they fall. So, we're seeing actually a lot of wrist fractures from pickleball,” said Physical Therapist Karl Gilliam.

A recent UBS study projects that pickleball injuries could cost Americans up to $500 million in healthcare costs this year. Senior citizens account for more than 85% of pickleball related emergency room visits. “It's great for people to be out and playing pickleball. The thing to be mindful of is that when you play pickleball, make sure that you're moving your feet first, not just moving your hands,” said Gilliam.

Gilliam said he often finds that poor balance is the core issue. “Okay, you know, the wrist injury was the problem you're here, but the real, real problem is that your balance and movement is not so great, so maybe we should transition you to more of a balance program or, you know, some other type of therapy program to get the legs back in shape so that they can move and coordinate better.”

It’s important to have the right footwear and always listen to your body, especially in a multi-generational sport like pickleball. “You’ve got to know where your limitations are, and when you feel yourself start to get a little wobbly, then maybe it's time to not necessarily stop, but take a break, reassess, hydrate, get a little protein, and then start again,” said Gilliam.

Lee Health offers free balance screenings which can help set your baseline. Physical therapists can also work with you to improve your balance. You can learn more by searching for balance therapy on leehealth.org.



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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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