Pickleball Treatment Leaders in Alabama
Committed to providing you with excellence in patient-centered orthopedic care, OrthoAlabama Spine & Sports is your source for all the world-class bone, joint, and muscle care a pickleball player could need.
Staying active plays a key role in keeping yourself healthy, but it also has its risks. Even pickleball players are susceptible to the injuries that could happen on the court. Every athlete is unique with their own needs that require special attention. When you get injured, it is important to team up with medical professionals who have the training and expertise to get you back on the court.
When it comes to sports medicine, athletes take priority. It is their goals that drive the treatment options offered by their sports medicine doctor. Getting pickleball players back in the game takes the right sports medicine doctor to put them on the path to a successful comeback after an injury.
At OrthoAlabama Spine & Sports, pickleball players can get the care they need from our board-certified and fellowship-trained pickleball injury experts. With recognized expertise in sports medicine, they are with you every step of the way, from treatment to rehabilitation. They work with you to find the treatment you need for your pain or limitation, ensuring that what you love to do is no longer out of reach.
Our pickleball injury experts at OrthoAlabama Spine & Sports 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.
Playing at your best on the court takes dedicated, active time off the court. Injuries can happen to players at any level, but there are steps to minimize the risk. By doing regular strength training, targeted stretches, and conditioning, pickleball players can make playing on the court a lasting experience. To level up your game, take time to explore programs designed by experts so that you can be ready for your next match.
The Pickleball 10 to Win, from Alabama’s leaders in treating pickleball injuries at OrthoAlabama Spine & Sports, is your complete workout program for playing better pickleball. By using this program, you can improve your game and help prevent injury.
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.
Continuing to train or play pickleball, or any sport for that matter, when you are injured can be detrimental to your health and keep you off the court indefinitely. It is important to see an orthopedic specialist before a problem worsens.
Our specialists understand that the most effective injury treatment plan requires a precise diagnosis from an experienced doctor. Request an appointment online or call (205) 228-7600 to consult with one of our specialty-trained sports medicine doctors if you experience:
- Popping sound or sensation in your arm, wrist, hip, shoulder, back, or knee after a fall
- Inability to put weight on your foot, ankle, knee, or leg
- Continued muscle or joint pain after resting and icing
- Pain in your hand, wrist, or forearm when holding your pickleball paddle
- Pain in your shoulder, back, neck, or arm when swinging your pickleball paddle
- Sudden, persistent pain in your back, arms, or legs after playing, especially if it is tender and/or warm to the touch
Common pickleball injuries include:
- Back strains
- Golfer’s elbow
- Hamstring strains
- Herniated or slipped disc
- Knee cartilage and tendon injuries
- Plantar fascia ruptures
- Plantar fasciitis
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Tennis elbow
- Wrist and ankle sprains
Mary E. Gilmer, M.D.
Dr. Mary Gilmer is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in providing surgical and nonsurgical care for the foot, ankle, and knee. Even before reaching high school, she knew that medicine was in her future. Her earliest experience with orthopedics started after an unfortunate slide accident at school, which resulted in meeting Dr. Perry Savage for the first time. That experience had a profound impact on the rest of her life.
Bradly S. Goodman, M.D.
Dr. Bradly Goodman is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor and one of the first interventional physical medicine doctors in the country. He is a leader in minimally invasive interventional therapies, which treat a variety of conditions without the risks of surgery. His expertise includes kyphoplasty, spinal cord stimulation, spinal decompression, the Intracept® procedure for back pain, radiofrequency ablation, the Disc-FX® System, the mild® procedure, orthobiologics, ReActiv8®, spinal injections, and ultrasound-guided injections. Dr. Goodman is a national instructor and lecturer for the Spine Intervention Society, the North American Spine Society, and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Zane B. Hyde, M.D.
Dr. Zane Hyde is a fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon specializing in ankle, hip, knee, and shoulder arthroscopy. His expertise includes ACL reconstruction, partial and total knee replacement, shoulder replacement, and ultrasound-guided injections. Dr. Hyde worked as the team physician for the University of Virginia football, basketball, baseball, women's lacrosse, and men's soccer teams. He also served as team physician for James Madison University's men's and women's basketball and softball teams.
Srinivas Mallempati, M.D.
Dr. Srinivas Mallempati is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic doctor specializing in nonsurgical treatments and minimally invasive spine procedures. His expertise includes trigger point injections, epidural steroid injections, ultrasound-guided peripheral joint injections, kyphoplasty, and orthobiologics. He provides his patients with the highest level of care possible so that they can get back to enjoying the life they love.
Tyler J. Marshall, M.D.
Dr. Tyler Marshall is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and uses minimally invasive techniques to treat injuries and conditions of the knee, shoulder, hip, elbow, ankle, and foot. His expertise includes rotator cuff, labrum, ACL, meniscus, and cartilage injuries. Dr. Marshall has published peer-reviewed journal articles on a wide spectrum of orthopedic topics, and he has lectured both locally and at national sports medicine conferences. His current research interests include shoulder instability, the rotator cuff, improving ACL outcomes, and the thrower’s elbow.
Scott P. Orr, M.D.
Dr. Scott Orr is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in adult joint reconstruction and the management of degenerative joint conditions, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and post-traumatic arthritis. His expertise includes direct anterior total hip replacement, partial knee replacement, total knee replacement, complex revision knee and hip replacement, and robotic total knee replacement. He is also an expert at providing orthopedic trauma and fracture care.
Mark E. Rogers, M.D.
Dr. Mark Rogers is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee. His expertise includes sports medicine, arthroscopy, joint replacement, and shoulder and elbow injuries and conditions. He also specializes in performing joint preservation surgeries of the knee, including cartilage restoration and ligament reconstruction. Dr. Rogers serves as a team doctor for Ashville High School and for the Mayhem on the Mountain CrossFit Competition.
P. Lauren Savage, Jr., M.D.
Dr. Lauren Savage is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive spine procedures as well as knee and shoulder arthroscopic surgery. His expertise includes anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, lumbar microdiscectomy and decompression, kyphoplasty, arthroscopic procedures, and peripheral nerve surgery. Dr. Savage has presented research relating to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery, lumbar surgery for intraspinal synovial cysts, surgery for far lateral disc herniations, and minimally invasive percutaneous discectomy.
The treatment that works for you is the treatment that helps you meet your health, fitness, and performance goals at the highest possible level. Our pickleball injury experts at OrthoAlabama Spine & Sports 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 a solution focused on you and your needs.
With dedicated expertise in the full range of treatments and protocols, our doctors will always recommend conservative, nonsurgical care plans before suggesting surgery. If surgery is necessary, our doctors are skilled in the latest minimally invasive techniques to ensure the safest, fastest, and best overall recovery and experience.
Common Pickleball Injuries & Treatments
We offer complete, unique care programs for every pickleball player we treat. See the list below for some of the common injuries that pickleball players experience as well as treatments offered by our pickleball injury experts. To learn more, click the associated link provided.
Walk-In Clinic Available
Through our Walk-In Clinic, you’ll receive compassionate treatment from an orthopedic expert specialty-trained in bone, joint, and muscle injury care. You will also save on time by avoiding a trip to the ER. Additionally, you will save money with access to specialized care at the cost of an office visit versus the expense of an ER visit.