Are Pickleball Injuries Keeping You From Doing What You Love?
Are Pickleball Injuries Keeping You From Doing What You Love?
If you have walked past a local park lately, you have probably heard the familiar pop of a paddle meeting a plastic ball. Pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing sports in America, drawing players of every age, from teenagers to retirees. It is social, competitive, and a lot of fun. However, the quick side-to-side shuffles, sudden stops, deep lunges, and overhead smashes that make the game so exciting also place real demands on your spine, joints, and nervous system.
At Lawson Family Chiropractic Center in Canal Winchester, Dr. Bethaney Lawson helps active adults and athletes address the structural problems that often lie beneath pickleball injuries. Her goal is simple: to help you get back on the court and stay there.
Why Pickleball Injuries Are So Common
Pickleball looks easy, and that is part of its appeal. The court is small, the rules are simple, and beginners can pick up the game in a single afternoon. Yet a typical match involves hundreds of repetitive twists of the torso, low bends to reach dinks at the kitchen line, bursts of lateral movement, and reaches overhead.
Many players also jump into a game without warming up, or they play for hours several days a week. Because most players favor one dominant arm and rotate in the same direction again and again, one side of the body works much harder than the other. Over time, that imbalance can pull the spine and pelvis out of proper alignment, setting the stage for pain and injury. Are Pickleball Injuries Keeping You From Doing What You Love?
Common Pickleball Injuries
Low Back Pain and Strain
Bending forward at the waist to scoop up low shots while twisting to return the ball puts a heavy load on the lower back. Repeated over an entire match, this motion can stress the muscles, joints, and intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine.
Neck and Shoulder Tension
Tracking lobs overhead and swinging the paddle above your head can strain the neck and shoulder. Many players notice stiffness in the upper back or discomfort around the rotator cuff after a long day on the court.
Pickleball Elbow and Wrist Pain
Much like tennis elbow, "pickleball elbow" develops from repetitive gripping and swinging, which irritates the tendons on the outside of the elbow. Wrist pain is also common. Because the nerves that supply your arms and hands exit the spine in your neck, the alignment of your cervical spine plays an important role in how your arms feel and function.
Knee, Hip, and Ankle Injuries
Quick pivots, sudden stops, and lunges can strain the lower body. When the hips and pelvis are uneven, the force of every step travels unevenly into the knees and ankles, increasing the risk of injury.
Please note: If you experience a fall, severe or sudden pain, significant swelling, numbness, or an inability to bear weight, seek prompt medical evaluation.
The Hidden Link: Subluxations and Your Nervous System
Chiropractic care is about function, not just pain relief. Your nervous system controls every cell, muscle, and movement in your body. On the pickleball court, your reaction time, balance, and coordination all depend on clear communication between your brain and your body.
A vertebral subluxation occurs when a spinal bone shifts out of its proper position and places harmful stress on the nervous system. Think of it like a cell phone dropping into a dead zone: the signal weakens, and messages do not get through clearly. By adjusting the misaligned vertebra back into place, Dr. Lawson removes that interference so your body can communicate, move, and heal the way it was designed to.
How Gonstead Chiropractic Helps With Pickleball Injuries
The Gonstead System was developed by Dr. Clarence S. Gonstead, who practiced for more than 50 years in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. His approach is known worldwide for its precision, and it remains one of the most thorough methods in chiropractic care.
Starting With Your Foundation
The Gonstead concept begins with the body's structural foundation. Maximum balance and stability are achieved when the pelvis, vertebrae, and legs are level. For a pickleball player, an uneven foundation affects every shuffle, swing, and step. The Gonstead Disc Concept also recognizes that injury to the intervertebral discs plays a major role in spinal subluxations, so each adjustment is designed to benefit the discs while restoring normal alignment and motion.
Finding the True Source of the Problem
Dr. Gonstead developed the idea of primary subluxations versus compensation. For every subluxation, the body compensates elsewhere. That means the spot that hurts is not always the spot causing the problem. Rather than adjusting every area that feels tight, Dr. Lawson analyzes the entire spine as a whole to locate the specific vertebra that needs attention, and she adjusts that bone and that bone only.
A Thorough Gonstead Examination
To pinpoint the primary subluxation, Dr. Lawson uses several examination methods:
Visualization: She observes your posture, gait, and movement for signs of imbalance.
Instrumentation: The Nervoscope detects temperature differences along the spine that may indicate inflammation and nerve pressure.
Static palpation: She feels the spine while you are still to check for swelling, tenderness, and changes in the surrounding tissue.
Motion palpation: She evaluates how each vertebra moves as you bend and flex.
Full-spine X-ray analysis: When necessary, X-rays are sourced through a trusted imaging partner and carefully analyzed to guide your care.
Gentle, Specific Adjustments
Gonstead adjustments are hands-on, low-amplitude, and high-velocity, with no rotational forces driven into the body. This means each adjustment is quick, controlled, and delivered along a specific line of correction. The result is a safe, gentle, and effective adjustment that is appropriate for players of all ages, whether you are a competitive tournament player or a weekend beginner.
Care Beyond the Spine
Pickleball does not only affect your back. Dr. Lawson earned a certification in extremity work, which allows her to evaluate and care for the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles that take a beating during play.
Tips to Keep You on the Pickleball Court
Dr. Lawson serves as an all-around wellness coach, so her care extends beyond the adjusting table. Here are a few simple habits to help you prevent pickleball injuries:
Warm up first. Spend five to ten minutes walking, doing arm circles, and performing gentle dynamic stretches before your first game.
Wear court shoes. Running shoes are built for forward motion, while court shoes provide the lateral support that pickleball requires.
Bend your knees, not your back. Stay low in an athletic stance instead of bending at the waist to reach low shots.
Avoid backpedaling. When chasing a lob, turn and move toward the ball rather than stepping backward, which is a common cause of falls.
Stay hydrated and rest. Give your body time to recover between long sessions.
Keep up with regular adjustments. Routine Gonstead care helps keep your spine aligned and your nervous system working at its best.
Why Choose Lawson Family Chiropractic Center?
Dr. Lawson graduated with honors from Sherman College of Chiropractic, where she served as an officer of the Gonstead Technique Club for three years and completed an 18-month internship at the Sherman College Health Center. She has dedicated more than 500 hours to advanced Gonstead training.
Practicing the Gonstead System exclusively is rare, and it is even rarer to find a female Gonstead doctor. Because the technique is challenging to master, many chiropractors never pursue it. Dr. Lawson chose this path because it delivers precise, lasting results for patients of all ages.
As a proud member of the Canal Winchester Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Lawson believes in small-town values, where you are called by name and treated with respect.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
Your initial visit lasts approximately 60 minutes and includes new patient paperwork, a tour of the facility, a detailed case history, and a spinal and neurological exam. If necessary, Dr. Lawson will provide an X-ray consultation, with imaging completed out of house through a trusted partner.
Standard visits take only 10 to 15 minutes and include a spinal exam and any necessary adjustments. That makes it easy to fit care into your schedule before or after a match. To save time, please download and complete the patient information forms on our website before your appointment.
Get Back to Doing What You Love
Pickleball injuries do not have to end your time on the court. By finding and correcting the true source of the problem, Gonstead chiropractic care can help your body move, recover, and perform the way it was designed to. Whether you are nursing a sore back or simply want to keep playing for years to come, Dr. Lawson is here to help.
Call Lawson Family Chiropractic Center
today at 614-834-4444 to schedule your appointment.
Lawson Family Chiropractic Center
6760 Thrush Drive, Suite C
Canal Winchester, OH 43110
Phone: 614-834-4444
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