Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Prevention is Key | Expert Care is Essential
Did you know that Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in the U.S.? It’s a fun sport that requires low-impact aerobic exercise, and the fact that it requires four players makes it an enjoyable, social event. However, with all of this fun-filled activity, injuries are bound to happen. Orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine physicians often report that Pickleball and other racket sports result in numerous injuries.
Because Pickleball plays on hard courts and the net is low, most injuries are within the lower extremities.
Some of the most common injuries are:
Achilles Tendon Rupture
Although the Achilles tendon can withstand great stresses from running, twisting, and jumping, it is extremely vulnerable to injury. A rupture of the tendon is a tearing and separation of the tendon fibers, so that the tendon can no longer perform its normal function. It is a painful injury and often patients describe hearing a popping sound when it happens.
Tearing Gastrocnemius
The Gastrocnemius is the calf muscle. Small tears tend to fray the gastrocnemius overtime and chronic injury can result but feel like an acute onset once it fully tears. Many people have slight tightness or sore calf muscles and suddenly, they jump up to answer the door or check the stove, and fully tear the muscle. It can be excruciating and require a boot and physical therapy to repair and heal properly. Depending on the severity, it may require surgery. This injury usually happens in very active adults and athletes.
Knee Pain
We put constant strain on our knees daily. If you weigh 180 pounds, then 540 pounds of pressure are on your knee joints with every step. When you’re doing ballistic or jumping movements the weight and wear and tear o on the knees is exacerbated and can lead to pain, injury and osteoarthritis. If you have knee pain, take a break, and give your knees a rest. Wear knee braces or kinesiology tape if necessary, and if your knee pain doesn’t get better, you need to see an orthopedic surgeon to alleviate any progressive injuries or wear and tear.
When the feet, ankles, and knees are injured, it’s not uncommon for hip and back pain to follow due to the body’s misalignment. Don’t ignore your pain. Seek help from experienced, board certified and fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine physicians.
Preventing Pickleball injuries:
Warming up your ankles, knees, hips, wrists, and shoulders is essential before playing Pickleball.
Doing rotation exercises and stretching will help to prevent injuries. If you are not
Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart Orthopedics + Sports Medicine has been providing meticulous care for your orthopedic and sports medicine needs since 2006.
To alleviate your pain and get you back to doing what you love, Dr. Sforzo, Dr. Christopher Dillingham, Dr. Charles Stewart, and Dr. Philip Meinhardt specialize in both non-surgical and surgical treatment for the shoulders, hand, wrists, elbows, hips, knees, ankles spine and neck.
This includes unparalleled expertise in fracture care, sports injuries, tendonitis, arthritis, bursitis, joint replacement, rotator cuff repair, carpal tunnel syndrome, reverse shoulder replacement, ACL reconstruction, reconstruction of spinal deformities, fusion procedures, knee replacement, total hip replacement both traditional and anterior approach. Additionally, the doctors offer the latest in regenerative treatments helping many patients eliminate the need for surgery.
You are more than your injury, more than your pain. And so, the true healthcare practiced at Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart Orthopedics + Sports Medicine offers a much more personal approach.
You Have a Choice
Any physicians you choose to see are always your personal decision. It should never be mandated by policy or selected for you without regard to your needs and best interest. When you choose Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart Orthopedics + Sports Medicine, you can rest assured that you will be treated with respect, given the opportunity to ask questions, your options will be explained in detail, and you will be in the hands of experienced surgeons with the utmost integrity, receiving optimal care.
Sforzo | Dillingham | Stewart Orthopedics + Sports Medicine
941.378.5100
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