How can we better prevent sports injuries as we age?
MINNEAPOLIS -- One of the fastest-growing sports is also quickly putting people in the emergency room.
Injuries related to pickleball have shot up in recent years, especially since many of those playing are older adults.
So how can we better prevent sports injuries as we age? Good Question.
It's 1 p.m. on a weekday and there's an absolute racket inside Lucky Shots pickleball club in Minneapolis. Nearly every court is hosting a fast-paced doubles match.
"It's competitive, it's easy to learn," said Jason McCoy of Anoka.
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Yulia Detrick, his highly-skilled partner for a match, said she plays four to five times a week. McCoy gets the same number of reps, typically only taking a break on Sundays.
Another thing they share in common: injuries related to the sport they love.
A study determined that pickleball will lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in medical costs this year, with a majority due to emergency room visits.
McCoy said he sprained the same ankle several times, with the recovery period lasting either a few days to more than a month. Detrick's injury impacted the arm she uses to hold the racquet.
"I had a terrible tennis elbow last year. I couldn't hold a glass of water it was that bad," Detrick said.
WCCO spoke with Dr. David Jewison, a sports medicine physician with M Health Fairview.
"Typically if that develops, that's an overuse injury that strains on the tendons," Jewison said.
How does age play a role in this rise of injury?
"After the age of 35, our bone marrow density on all of us decreases by about 1% per year. We also know that by the age 65, we lose about 20% strength in our muscles and 20% of the flexibility," Jewison said.
He adds that the sports medicine field considers people "masters" after age of 35. The distinction doesn't mean a person has mastered a sport, rather they are more prone to injury and health complications. Recovery time after an injury also increases.
"You should be treating and rehabbing and stretching and doing all the things to help you maintain strength and flexibility to prevent and control injuries when they happen," he said.
Can braces help prevent injuries?
"Not necessarily," Jewison said. "For most of us, ankle braces are the thing we know has good evidence that is preventative for recurrent injuries."
As braces worn on elbows and knees, Dr. Jewison said they're more like to prevent irritation to a joint or tendon that is trying to heal from an injury versus preventing an injury altogether.
After suffering from tennis elbow, Detrick now wears a compression sleeve.
"It definitely helps me to take my shots better and just feel more power when I'm wearing it. And also, it provides a better recovery afterward," she said.
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How can stretching before or after an activity help prevent injuries? The key is the type of stretching you're doing and when you're doing it. One method is static stretching, such as reaching to touch your toes to stretch your hamstrings.
"Doing that prior to activity does not help people prevent anything," Jewison said.
Static stretching is good after your workout since it helps relax tight muscles and tendons. Before you work out or play pickleball, get your body moving.
"Get on a stationary bike, do a light walk, do some yoga movements, jumping jacks are great. Just a little something to get blood flowing and get warmed up," he said. "Our muscles need a period of time to get some blood flow and get the flexibility part of the muscles and tendons to start to be able to respond to the movements that are needed."
Exercising unrelated to your favorite sport can help prevent injuries when playing the sport. Dr. Jewison recommends yoga and tai chi for older adults. Those can help with flexibility and balance. Lacking both can lead to injuries on the pickleball court.
Resting often is also an important aspect of preventing injuries, especially of the muscles that get the most use in a specific sport or activity. Playing pickleball five days in a row, as McCoy admitted to doing at 43 years old, is not what Dr. Jewison would recommend.
"As we get excited about doing something new, people get into it and they do it regularly and it's addictive," he said. "But as we age, my thought to people is always taking a day off in between. So, most people if you have a period of scheduled rest a day or two in between that activity you want to do, you're going to have lower rates of injury."
