Looking to reduce Pickleball injuries in Palm Desert CA? Read on!

1. Use appropriate footwear

Reach for shoes that are tight fitting around the ankle to prevent rolling of the ankle. Also shoes that do not have a highly cushioned heel tend to have more stability when you change direction. Using a shoe with a lower heel, wide base, and are form fitting will reduce your risk of an ankle injury.

---

2. Warm up!

Doing something as simple as waling around, performing a light jog, or even playing a few low intensity rallies can be beneficial. By getting your body moving you are increasing blood flow to your muscles and tendons and warming up your tissues. This makes your muscles, ligaments, and tendons more elastic and flexible. Warming up is an important part of injury prevention and can reduce your risk of muscle strains or joint sprains.

---

3. Perform dynamic stretches in Palm Desert CA

Performing some dynamic stretching (stretching by moving through movements that mimic a sport) can increase the ranges of motion you can safely use in a game. This will not only reduce your risk of injury, but also may improve how well you reach for that tough return.

---

4. Play within your limits

The great majority of injuries we see in our office are from trying to go for a ball they knew they probably couldn't get. When you know there is no way you can reach a ball, instead of pushing yourself and trying anyways, save your body the trouble. While you can push yourself in the sport, only do so when you have been consistently exercising and maintaining the health of your body. When people are out of shape and push themselves, or when they give everything for that impossible to return shot, is when they injure themselves.

---

5. Stay hydrated

Not only is hydration important to prevent heat stroke, but it can reduce your risk of other injuries and even improve performance. When you are hydrated, you have more blood volume and your heart is able to pump more blood with each beat. This improves how well you can work and how out of breath you feel. Also hydrated tissues have more nutrients and slide past one another better. This makes them more flexible and less likely to become injured.

---

6. Get adjusted regularly

Chiropractic adjustments can improve your game and reduce your risk of injury. They can improve coordination, balance, and even reaction time! Not only that, but when joints aren't moving properly, the lack of movement must be compensated for by other areas that aren't designed to do that motion. This puts extra strain on nearby structures and puts them at greater risk of injury.