Posture of Pickleball
Sitting and standing tall are key elements to avoid injury .
By Barbara Wintroub
Sitting and standing tall are easy … not ! If they were , few would end up with pickleball shoulder , neck , back , hip or knee problems .
Think of your body as a house . Picture an earthquake — I call it “ Life happens ”— where you are shaken to your foundation . None of your doors and windows ( joints ) open or close correctly any longer . Basically , when life happens , tissue issues begin to break down your parts . Add pickleball to the mix and ( Presto !) your body starts to sustain injuries . If you ’ re younger ( 18-49 ), your rate of injury and repair is much shorter than the 50 + group . If you ’ re over 70 , surgeries can be inevitable .
When you build a structure , walls are even ; floors and ceilings don ’ t slant . There is equal tension on stabilizing beams . The doors and windows glide open and closed . That ’ s the way your body is supposed to work as you age . Yes , we all have aches and pains and soreness , especially after playing pickleball , but reducing injuries by doing some preventive work is necessary .
Let ’ s go through some body parts and the effect of poor posture on each . Start with forward head , where your nose enters the room first and your chest is attached to the train tracks . The weight of your head pulls on your neck and back . Between pickleball games you may sit on those terrible chairs you bring to the court . Check your sitting posture — that posture becomes your life posture as your neck and back tighten and eventually wear out . Forward shoulders are next . When reaching for those high pickleball shots , if you ’ re using your neck muscles instead of back muscles , the rotator cuff and long head of the bicep tendon are being sawed off .
Dinking and bending for those low pickleball shots can ruin your hips , back and knees . If your hip flexors are getting tighter each time you play and if stretching is not in your repertoire every evening , the hips can become out of alignment with your femur ( leg ) bones . Either the hip socket bones or back , or both , start to wear down . The knees are two bones balanced on top of each other . If your feet or hips don ’ t balance , neither do your knees . Also , if your hip muscles are so tight that they don ’ t glide when you walk , then you ’ re using your knees as hip sockets . That kind of movement wears away at your knees .
The key is to stretch , stretch , stretch , which helps to repair the tight tissue from all that playing . Sit and stand tall . Your balance can improve and some of the body pain can subside . The chance that you ’ ll play stronger and safer pickleball increases because your balance is better , and you integrate more correct muscle strength .
Sit and stand tall . Your head is attached to the cable car wires . Your chest enters the room first . Your arms hang from your back , not your front . You ’ ll look slimmer , taller and younger with a brain that gets more oxygen . Your balance can improve and some of that body pain can subside . Give good posture a try . I ’ ll bet you ’ ll be happy with the results . •
Barbara Wintroub has been an age-group ranked player for 13 years . She has a degree in kinesiology and is a medical exercise specialist , active aging expert and an Ironman triathlete , completing a marathon on all seven continents .