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ST. GEORGE — Pickleball, the fast-paced, paddle-wielding sport is taking the world, St. George — and most of its tennis courts — by storm. With all that backhanding and dinking, it's no surprise that pickleball injuries are on the rise.
Maladies of the sport
Dr. Warren Butterfield, an orthopedic surgeon at Intermountain Health Orthopedic Urgent Care, said he has seen an influx of pickleball mishaps over the years.
"The most common injury I see in pickleball is a wrist fracture," Butterfield said. "It is somebody who is stepping backward or aggressively going after a ball, and they just trip, reach out to rescue themselves and land on their outstretched arm, and break their wrist."
Damaged elbows and even concussions also are resulting from missteps and trips, such as running backward to fetch a ball and falling down.
