America’s fastest-growing sport is keeping older adults active and healthy

ORLANDO, Fla. – April is National Pickleball Month.

It’s a time to celebrate the rapidly growing sport that is keeping so many of our older adults and seniors active and healthy.

“It checks a lot of boxes in terms of cardiovascular health, strength and then balance, said Dr. George Eldayrie, a primary care sports medicine physician with Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute. “For older individuals, that is exactly what we need out of good exercise.

Pickleball has been named America’s fastest-growing sport for the third year in a row in the 2024 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) Topline Participation Report. The report shows participation grew 51.8% from 2022 to 2023. In 2023, the 65+ age group was tied for having the second highest number of participants.

In addition to physical health, pickleball also has a mental health component to it. The pickleball court is the perfect environment to meet new people and interact with friends.

“The idea of being social, being active with your mind, getting a mind-body connection with your muscles is super important,“ Eldayrie said. “These are huge benefits that we know help decrease rates of depression, which we know go up as we get older.”

Even though pickleball is described as a low-impact sport, injuries happen. In the older population, fractures associated with tripping or falling are common.

Eldayrie says he typically sees patients dealing with issues related to overuse, like Pickleball Elbow (similar to Tennis Elbow.)

“I’ll have patients who will play pickleball three to four times a week,” Eldayrie said. “Any sport you are doing that much — you can run into a problem with overuse.”

His tips to avoid injury:

• Incorporate cross-training into your routine.

• Stretch before and after you hit the court.

• Don’t stretch cold.

“You want to get your heart rate up a little bit — we call it muscle activation,” Eldayrie said. “They’ll get warmed up for the demands of the sport and that will help you avoid running into any problems.”

For a look at the top places to play in Central Florida, click here.