Melissa White, the executive director of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation, tried to resist the siren call that is pickleball. But when her 12-year-old son, Johnny, and her 12-year-old niece, Tori, begged her, White鈥檚 willpower wore down.
鈥淔or hours, it was 鈥楥ome on, play. We need a fourth. We need a fourth,鈥欌�� said White, who had never played the popular paddle game before she decided to give it a go on Sunday, March 23. She ended up with a serious injury to her right foot and was soon sentenced to surgery, a cast and a boot, moving around the island all summer, partially incapacitated.
White wasn鈥檛 alone during her physical therapy sessions, it turns out. The Key Biscayne Yacht Club鈥檚 Commodore, Felipe Porro, snapped his Achilles tendon playing pickleball on Easter Sunday, a few weeks after becoming commodore and right before a planned vacation to the Bahamas.
鈥淭he nurses, when I was getting prepped for surgery, were astonished when I told them that it was a pickleball injury, and they were like, 鈥榃hat are you guys doing in pickleball? There are so many surgeries being done.鈥欌��
It鈥檚 not rocket science. As pickleball鈥檚 popularity has insanely increased (), so have the injuries. The fastest-growing sport in the U.S. is taking its toll because it is often marketed as low-impact and perfect for sedentary people to get moving, a Key Biscayne physical therapist says.
A study published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine in January 2025 reported a 41% increase in pickleball-induced injuries between 2020 and 2021, with older players being disproportionately affected.
Christian Marrero, the clinical coordinator at Key Biscayne Physical Therapy, said he is seeing a big uptick in clients with pickleball injuries. A lot of calf strains, Achilles tendonitis, quad and hamstring strains and rotator (shoulder) cuff problems, he said.
鈥淲e have everybody from their 20s to their 70s and even older playing. So a lot of the injuries tend to be from a movement that they have not been trained to do before,鈥� he said.
White can relate, saying her first 鈥� and last foray 鈥� into pickleball started gloriously.
鈥淚鈥檒l never forget my son because I was all over the court,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淎t one point, he turned to me and said, 鈥榃ow, Mom, you鈥檙e pretty good.鈥� And that was all I needed to hear.鈥�
White remembers she was about to slam a shot and planted her foot. 鈥淚t was like a sniper took me out,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 literally blew up my foot.鈥�
She wasn鈥檛 exaggerating. White snapped her Lisfran ligament, a strong band of tissue that connects the bones of the midfoot to the bones of the forefoot. Eventually, the foot would need three screws to hold everything in place. She just got out of her boot but is wearing an orthopedic shoe.
White said she thinks she aggravated an old soccer injury from her 20s. 鈥淵ou know, I still think I鈥檓 an athlete, and don鈥檛 realize I鈥檓 old, right?鈥�
Porro said pickleball may look a bit like tennis, but relies on different skills. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like playing net against net,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e reaction time needs to be quicker.鈥�
Marrero added, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e squatting a lot, bending down, and quick, sudden movements and those quick, sudden movements oftentimes are what can lead to injury.鈥�
Porro said there is a longer recovery time for an Achilles tendon than for a torn ACL in the knee. His injury occurred as his company opened Golfos Lab, a golf simulator on the Key.
鈥淚t affects your ability to work. Mine was my right foot, so I couldn鈥檛 drive,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o imagine three months in a boot without being able to drive.鈥�
Here are some basics where players 鈥� both old and new 鈥� can prevent pickleball injuries:
- Stretch before playing. Marrero suggests dynamic stretching, using rubber bands.
- Hydrate. It may go without saying, but without water, those joints and tendons are easier to injure because a lack of hydration leads to muscle fatigue.
- Don鈥檛 play when injured. What seems just like a nagging calf strain can turn into a torn Achilles 鈥� just ask Aaron Rodgers.
- And finally, if you鈥檙e new to pickleball, take it easy. Start slow and build up stamina.
This story was originally published in the Key Biscayne Independent, a SA国际传谋 News partner.
