Kitchen & Court

How to Prevent Pickleball Injuries (Over 55)

Most senior pickleball injuries are falls and wrist fractures — and most are preventable. Here's a simple, research-grounded routine to lower your risk and keep playing.

By Stephen V.Last updated How we research

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Pickleball is one of the best things an older adult can do for their health — but the headlines about senior injuries are real, and worth taking seriously. The good news, backed by the injury research, is that most pickleball injuries in players over 55 are preventable. They aren’t random, and they mostly aren’t freak accidents: they cluster around a few specific, addressable causes. Fix those, and you dramatically tilt the odds in your favor.

Know what you’re actually preventing

Start with what the data shows. For players 60 and older, the injury burden is concentrated in ground-level fallsand their consequences — strains, sprains and, most seriously, fractures, with the wrist the single most-injured body part (a natural result of throwing out a hand to break a fall). This is very different from the overuse-injury picture in younger players. It means your prevention plan should be built around staying on your feet and protecting against falls first, and managing wear-and-tear second. Our is pickleball safe for seniors guide digs into the numbers.

The five steps that matter most

You don’t need a complicated regimen. Five habits do most of the work, in rough order of impact:

  • 1. Wear proper court shoes. This is the biggest single lever. A court or tennis shoe grips and supports your foot on a lateral cut; a running shoe slides and rolls, which is how ankles turn and falls happen. If you change one thing, change your shoes — start with our shoes for seniors picks.
  • 2. Warm up for five minutes.Cold joints asked to move suddenly are strain-prone, and a stiff body moves less steadily. A short routine for the ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and wrists is enough — our over-55 warm-up lays it out.
  • 3. Build strength and balance off the court.A couple of short weekly sessions of leg strength and balance work directly lower fall risk and support the knees and hips — the CDC recommends exactly this kind of work for older adults. See pickleball and balance.
  • 4. Play the soft game and move smart. Favor dinks, resets and placement over big power swings (easier on the joints and better strategy), keep a relaxed grip, and never backpedal for a lob— turn and shuffle, because backpedaling is a leading cause of the falls that break wrists.
  • 5. Support a vulnerable joint, and know your limits. Use a knee brace, wrist support or arthritis glove if a specific joint needs it, hydrate, rest between hard sessions, and stop if something hurts sharply.

The single habit that prevents the worst injury

If you take one thing from this guide, make it this: don’t backpedal for a lob. When a ball goes over your head, the instinct is to shuffle backwards with your eyes up — and that is exactly how older players fall backwards and land on a wrist or hip. Instead, turn your body, run or shuffle sideways to get behind the ball, and let it go if you can’t get there safely. A lost point is nothing; a fractured wrist is months. This one change prevents a large share of the most serious senior injuries.

There is one more injury worth naming separately, because it is the cheapest of all to prevent and almost nobody does. Pickleball eye injuries reaching US emergency departments have climbed steeply, and more of them happen to players 50 and over than under — from a ball, from a paddle, and from falls. The non-volley zone runs only seven feet back from the net on each side, so two players at their kitchen lines stand about fourteen feet apart, and the ball crosses that gap faster than you can blink. A rated pair of eye protection costs less than a pack of outdoor balls, and unlike a strain, an eye injury is not something you play through.

Everything above is the half that costs nothing. If you also want the shopping half — which court shoe, which knee support, which eyewear, and where a paddle actually fits in that order — we put one pick per category in our injury-prevention gear guide, ordered by the same injury data quoted here rather than by what is fun to buy.

The bigger picture

None of this should scare you off the court — the health benefits of pickleball far outweigh the risks for most older adults, as our is pickleball good exerciseguide covers. The point is that a little preparation goes a very long way. Good shoes, a quick warm-up, some strength and balance work, smart movement and the right support for any cranky joint — do those, and you’ve addressed the overwhelming majority of what actually hurts players over 55. Then go enjoy the game. And as always, nothing here is medical advice; if you have a heart or joint condition, or you’re coming back from an injury, talk to your doctor before you start.

General information, not medical advice. Kitchen & Court is written by a pickleball enthusiast, not a doctor or physical therapist. If you have arthritis, a heart condition, a recent injury or any concern about starting a new sport, talk to your doctor first. Warm up, start gently, and stop if something hurts.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common pickleball injuries for older players?

For players 60 and older, the injury burden is concentrated in ground-level falls and their consequences — strains, sprains and fractures, with the wrist the single most-injured body part. Falls, not overuse, are the biggest risk. The encouraging flip side is that most of that risk is preventable with proper court shoes, a warm-up, balance work and sensible movement habits, rather than the sport being inherently dangerous.

How do I avoid falling while playing pickleball?

The two biggest fixes are wearing a proper court shoe that grips instead of sliding, and never backpedaling for a lob — turn and shuffle to the ball instead, because backpedaling is a leading cause of falls that break wrists. Add a five-minute warm-up, a couple of short balance and leg-strength sessions a week, and playing within your limits, and you address most of the fall risk older players face.

Should I wear a brace to prevent pickleball injuries?

Only if a specific joint needs it. A knee brace, wrist support or arthritis glove can help you play comfortably around a cranky or previously-injured joint, but bracing a healthy joint 'just in case' isn't necessary and can't replace strength, balance and good technique. Match support to an actual problem: a sleeve for an achy knee, a stabilizer for a strained wrist. When in doubt about an injury, see a professional.

Do I really need to warm up for pickleball?

Yes, especially over 55. Pickleball starts with sudden lateral movement, and cold joints and muscles asked to move quickly are more prone to strains — and a cold, stiff body moves less steadily, which raises fall risk. Five minutes of gentle movement for the ankles, knees, hips, shoulders and wrists meaningfully lowers your risk. Our over-55 warm-up guide gives you a simple routine to follow.

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