Friendly Game, Not-So-Friendly On the Knees
Impact of Pickleball on the Body
You show up for a couple of games, ready for a good time. Then four hours later, you’re dehydrated, maybe slightly delirious, and everyone on the court is doubled over like it’s the Hunger Games. Welcome to pickleball! It is fun, addictive, and sneakily hard on your knees. You think you’re just dinking around, but all those quick stops, explosive pivots, and sideline sprints add up fast. In fact, recent data shows that lower extremity injuries are among the most common reasons players end up in urgent care or the ER, with the knee taking a major hit (Yu et al., 2025).
Knee pain from pickleball can come from several sources:
Sometimes it is a true strain or sprain from an awkward lunge, especially when the foot is planted and the knee twists.
Other times, it's the patellar tendon getting irritated or overloaded from repetitive jumping and squatting.
Quad dominance (aka when your quads are doing way too much of the work) can tug at the kneecap and strain surrounding tissues.
Tight hamstrings and calves can limit mobility and throw off your alignment, while poor glute activation leaves your knees unsupported and vulnerable.
It’s all connected, and when one part of the chain breaks down, the knee often pays the price.
How Acupuncture Can Help:
This is where acupuncture and trigger point therapy come in. By identifying which muscles are overworking or underperforming, we use precise needling techniques to release tension, restore balance, and reduce inflammation around the knee joint. Tight quads, calves, hip flexors, or IT bands can be softened. Circulation improves. Healing begins. When combined with proper dynamic warmups, strength training for the posterior chain, and a little attention to flexibility, you can stay in the game without your knees making you regret every drop shot.
If you’ve been hobbling off the court or popping Advil just to make it through the week, it’s time to get ahead of the game. Let’s work on keeping your knees strong, supported, and pain-free, so the only thing you’ll be worried about in the next match is your backhand!
Yu, J., Yendluri, A., Linden, G. S., Namiri, N. K., Corvi, J. J., Song, J., Parsons, B. O., & Parisien, R. L. (2025). Increasing Incidence of Pickleball Injuries Presenting to US Emergency Departments: A 10-year Epidemiologic Analysis of Mechanisms and Trends. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 13(1), 23259671241305364. https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671241305364