Offering orthopaedic excellence and exceptional care to every patient, The Bone & Joint Center is your source for world-class bone, joint, and muscle care to treat pickleball players at any level.
Staying active is beneficial when it comes to health and fitness, and pickleball is a great option to incorporate into your lifestyle for fun and keeping active. Like other sports, however, there is a risk of injury. Pickleball players are unique athletes, each with unique needs that require special attention. When injured, staying on the court takes a collaborative effort, working with experts who have specialized experience to provide the most effective treatment suited to your care needs.
When it comes to sports medicine, athletes are the primary focus. Reaching their performance goals and returning to the field or court are key factors in how their sports medicine doctor provides care. Like any athlete, it is essential that pickleball players find a sports medicine doctor to get the highest level of play possible after an injury.
At The Bone & Joint Center, our team of pickleball injury experts is made up of board-certified and fellowship-trained specialists. With advanced training and recognized expertise in sports medicine, they take a team approach to find the best possible solution to your pain or limitation so you can return to your favorite sports and activities.
Our pickleball injury experts at The Bone & Joint Center are proud to be Pickleball Doctors. Providing expert tips for injury prevention, performance, and more, Pickleball Doctors is a group of elite doctors dedicated to helping you stay on—and dominate—the pickleball court.
Prepare for Pickleball Play & Avoid Injury
Many leading doctors stress the importance of prevention as the best cure. Pickleball players at any level can reduce their risk of injury on the court by tackling some exercises off the court. In preparation for their next match, pickleball players can go a long way with strength training, conditioning, and targeted stretches. To improve your performance and prevent injury, follow an expert-designed program for your next workout or warm-up.
The Pickleball 10 to Win, from New York’s leaders in treating pickleball injuries at The Bone & Joint Center, is your complete workout program for playing better pickleball. By using this program, you can improve your game and help prevent injury.
Pickleball 10 to Win
With these 10 targeted exercises, you can improve your flexibility, agility, strength, and endurance to win on the court and stay on the court.
BEAR HUGS
Stand straight or lie on your back and open up your arms, pulling your shoulders back to broaden your chest. Bring your arms back in, wrapping them around your chest, and pat the back of your shoulders. Repeat quickly 20 times.
For the Win: Do some resistance bear hugs. Hold a resistance band around your back. Then, reach your arms out in front of you like you are hugging someone. Hold for 3 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
POGO HOPS
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly, but keep your posture straight. Keep your feet together and jump up and down in place. Repeat for 30 seconds.
For the Win: Do some single-leg hops. Balance on one leg and hop in place for 30 seconds. Repeat while balancing on your other leg. For better agility training, use a line to hop over from left to right.
SIDE-LYING LEG LIFTS
Lie on your side with your legs straight and one leg on top of the other. Bend your knees slightly and move your top leg toward the sky or ceiling. Lift your leg slowly and lower it slowly. Repeat 10 times on each side.
For the Win: Try resistance leg lifts! While lying on your side, place a resistance band around your legs and above your knees while you complete your leg lifts. For more of a challenge, place the band around your ankles.
SINGLE-LEG BALANCE
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and lift one foot off the ground. If you need, hold your arms out to help you balance. Hold this position for up to a minute or as long as you can and repeat on the other side.
For the Win: Do single-leg extensions. Stand on one foot. Lift your other leg, extending it behind you, in front of you, and off to the side. Center your leg before each extension. Repeat 15 times on each side.
STANDING QUAD STRETCH
Stand on one foot and pull the other behind you, holding the ankle. If you need, hold onto something for balance. Pull your heel toward your buttocks, and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on each side.
For the Win: Do kneeling quad stretches. Kneel on one knee with the opposite foot planted flat in front of you. Push your hips forward and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat for 3 sets on each side.
ROWS
Put a resistance band around a stable surface, like a tree or fence, holding the band in each hand. Stand facing the band with your feet hip-width apart. Pull the band toward you, squeezing your shoulder blades. Return to your starting position. Repeat 15 times.
For the Win: Do some bodyweight rows. Instead of resistance bands, use your body weight. Find a stable horizontal surface, such as a table or bar, and lie underneath it, grasping the surface firmly with both hands. Pull yourself up then lower yourself back down. Repeat 15 times.
PLANKS
Put your hands and knees on the ground, and then extend your legs behind you. Support your weight on your forearms and toes. Keep your body straight from your head to your heels. Hold this position as long as you can.
For the Win: Try side planks with resistance in your arms. Support your weight on one foot and forearm. Hold a resistance band in both hands, and extend your free arm toward the sky or ceiling. Repeat 10 times on each side.
HEEL RAISES
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly lift your heels off the ground, rising up onto the balls of your feet. Pause as you get to your tip-toe position, then lower your heels slowly back down to the ground. Repeat 20 times.
For the Win: Try single-leg heel raises. Instead of using both feet, lift one foot off the ground while putting your weight on the other foot and lifting that heel up. Repeat 20 times on each side.
SQUATS
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your hips down and back as if you are sitting down in a chair. Keep your weight on your heels. Return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times.
For the Win: Try single-leg squats. Instead of two feet down as you squat, lift one foot off the ground and extend it in front of you as you lower your hips and return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times on each side.
LUNGES
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Take a big step forward with one foot. Lower your hips down until your front knee is bent at a 90-degree angle. Keep your weight on your front heel. Push off your front foot to return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times on each side.
For the Win: Do backward and side lunges. For backward lunges, take a big step backward, lower, and push off your back foot to return to standing. For side lunges, take a step out to the side, lower yourself on that side, and push back up from that foot to return to standing.
When to Be Seen
Continuing to train or play pickleball—or any sport—can be detrimental if you are injured. The wrong injury can be the reason you stay off the court indefinitely. To avoid serious injury, you should be seen by an orthopaedic specialist right away.
Our experts recognize that it takes a precise diagnosis from an experienced specialist to provide the best treatment plan for your injury. Request an appointment online or call (518) 489-2666 to consult with one of our specialty-trained sports medicine doctors if you experience:
- A popping sound or sensation in your back, shoulder, arm, wrist, hip, or knee from a fall on the court
- An inability to put weight on your leg, knee, foot, or ankle
- Muscle or joint pain that continues after resting and icing
- Forearm, wrist, or hand pain when holding your pickleball paddle
- Pain in the shoulder, back, neck, or arm while swinging your pickleball paddle
- Sudden, persistent pain in your arms, legs, or back after playing, especially if it is tender and/or warm to the touch
Common pickleball injuries include:
- Ankle and wrist sprains
- Hamstring and back strains
- Herniated or slipped discs
- Knee tendon and cartilage injuries
- Plantar fasciitis and plantar fascia rupture
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Tennis and golfer’s elbow
Who to See
Dr. Richard Alfred is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine injuries.
He is the trauma physician for Saratoga Race Course and the team physician for Siena College, Hudson Valley Community College, and Russell Sage College. He is the former training camp physician for the New York Giants football team.
Dr. Alfred is a native of Albany and a graduate of Albany High School.
Dr. Maxwell Alley is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon. Dr. Alley’s main area of specialization involves arthroscopy and sports medicine. Ligamentous reconstructions of the knee and shoulder, as well as arthroscopic operation on the shoulder, knee, and elbow, are a large component of his practice.
Dr. Alley enjoys his time on the sidelines, both at the University at Albany and at his alma mater, Shaker High School.
Dr. Shankar Das is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon whose interests are in sports medicine with a specific focus on shoulder and knee injuries and surgery. He also has vast experience in hip arthroscopy, including surgical repair of torn labrum and femoral acetabular impingement.
Dr. Das is the medical director of Capital Region Ambulatory Surgery Center and is the consultant for the Tri-City ValleyCats, as well as the team physician for the University at Albany and Guilderland Center High School.
Dr. Michael Flaherty is a fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist whose interests include hip, knee, shoulder, and elbow arthroscopy and orthopaedic fracture care. He specializes in arthroscopic labral repair and reconstruction of the hip, arthroscopic labral and rotator cuff repair of the shoulder, and complex ligamentous reconstruction of the knee.
He grew up in the Boston area and attended Georgetown University as a four-year member of the Hoya football team. He continued his athletic interest at the University of Massachusetts, where he served as the assistant team physician to the minor league affiliates of the Boston Red Sox organization (Pawtucket Red Sox and Lowell Spinners).
Andrew C. Gerdeman, M.D., is a fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist, with an emphasis on advanced arthroscopic techniques of the shoulder and knee. His expertise includes arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, arthroscopic stabilization for shoulder dislocations, and arthroscopic labral repair (SLAP repair). He also specializes in the treatment of patella dislocations, meniscus repair, cartilage restoration procedures, and complex multiple ligament reconstructions of the knee.
Dr. Gerdeman enjoys the special relationships he develops with patients and athletes: “I love what I do, and I treat all my patients as I would treat my own family.” He serves as team physician at Skidmore College as well as several high schools in the Capital Region.
As a fellowship-trained adult reconstruction surgeon, Dr. Alexander Harbin specializes in the latest joint replacement procedures of the hip and knee as well as orthopaedic trauma care. His surgical expertise includes anterior hip replacement, revision hip and knee replacement, patient-specific knee replacement, and robotic-assisted knee replacement.
Dr. Harbin is expertly trained in using the Zimmer Biomet Persona IQ® The Smart Knee™ with the ROSA® Knee robot to perform precise total knee replacements.
Dr. Hamish Kerr is a board-certified primary care sports medicine physician whose interests include musculoskeletal medicine, ultrasound, and the prevention of injury, teaching, and sports medicine research. He is a professor at Albany Medical College and a program director for the sports medicine fellowship. He is a native of Scotland and enjoys playing soccer, skiing, and spending time with his wife and three children.
Dr. Kerr is the head team physician for Siena College, works for USA Rugby and World Rugby, and is on United States Olympic Committee and the Scottish Football Association.
Dr. Daniel Phelan is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon whose interests include complex reconstructions of the knee and shoulder, knee replacement, arthroscopy of the knee and shoulder, and orthopaedic trauma and fracture care.
Dr. Phelan is a native of Albany and a graduate of Shaker High School. He enjoys running and spending time with his wife and three children. He is the team physician at several local high schools and colleges, including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Colonie Central High School.
Dr. James Schneider is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon whose interests include orthopaedic trauma, fracture care, and sports injuries of the knee and shoulder. He completed a sports medicine fellowship at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston and served as a team physician for the Boston Celtics.
Dr. Schneider is the team physician for several local high schools and colleges.
Dr. Todd Shatynski is a sports medicine specialist with an emphasis and interest in the nonsurgical treatment of injuries and is trained in the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound for the diagnosis of soft tissue injuries and the guidance of injections. He is often involved in teaching residents and sports medicine fellows.
Dr. Joseph Zimmerman is a fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon specializing in knee and shoulder arthroscopy, joint replacement, general orthopaedics, and trauma care. He provides expert diagnosis and treatment for sports-related and general orthopaedic injuries and conditions.
Dr. Zimmerman offers the latest procedures, including shoulder and knee arthroscopy, shoulder balloon spacer arthroplasty, reverse total shoulder replacement, minimally invasive total shoulder resurfacing, complex knee ligament reconstruction, cartilage preservation procedures, as well as partial and total knee replacement.
Comprehensive Care for Pickleball Players
The best treatment for you is the treatment that is as unique as you are and focused on returning you to your active lifestyle. Our pickleball injury experts at The Bone & Joint Center have extensive knowledge and experience in the best treatments available for your needs. Our team will work closely with you to determine a diagnosis and the solution that helps you meet your goals and stay active.
Dedicated to providing a comprehensive array of services and treatments, our doctors will always start with conservative, nonsurgical care plans before suggesting surgery. If surgery is necessary, our doctors are highly skilled in the latest techniques to ensure the safest, fastest, and best overall recovery and experience.
Common Pickleball Injuries & Treatments
We offer care programs for the injuries and conditions of every pickleball player we treat. See the list below for some of the common injuries experienced by pickleball players as well as treatments offered by our pickleball injury experts. To learn more, click the associated link provided.
HURT TODAY? TREATED TODAY!
We understand that injuries occur when least expected. That’s why our doctors and physician assistants are proud to offer our same-day Orthopaedic Urgent Care and extended clinic hours at our Albany location to treat patients who are suffering from acute orthopaedic injuries and conditions.