Now that everyone is stretching their hamstrings, right? (Ed. Note: see Fitness, Sept. 2013 issue) It’s time to stretch your calf muscles, which are attached to the hamstrings. As a tennis player from years ago, I tore both my calf muscles. As I was running to the net in a tournament doubles match I heard […]

No one likes to stretch, nor do they think they need to stretch. Why inflict pain on yourself on a daily basis? Here’s a quick story. While playing pickleball one of our players grabbed his hamstring and went down on the court. He has got great legs and he works out at the gym, but […]

Because pickleball is a gripping sport that requires you to swing a paddle, it is an activity that also requires you to have a strong grip. We stretch our hamstrings, our back muscles and our neck muscles, but do we stretch our hand and forearm muscles? If not, we should! Weight bearing wrist exercises are […]

Have you watched any of the French Open Tennis tournament? Can you believe those players can slide from side to side on the clay and remain standing? As we age our balance begins to lessen. On the pickleball court good balance helps us make those great shots. If you can move quickly, bend for those […]

The Psoas is one of the largest, thickest muscles in the body. Its origin is Thoracic 12 and all the lumbar vertebrae including the discs, attaching at the top of the leg bone (femur). The responsibility of the Psoas is to flex your hip and thigh, which can cause poor lower back posture. When you […]

The foam roller is a great tool for relaxing tense muscles after playing pickleball all day. You get a wonderful deep-tissue massage and you can (should) use the roller every day. Place your body on the foam roller and slowly roll up and down the muscle fibers, pausing on particularly tight areas. Put as much […]

Congratulations, you have just received a new body part or parts: hip replacement, knee replacement(s), shoulder or toe joint replacement. Now that Humpty Dumpty is back together again it’s time to protect your new parts. The doctors are good at replacement but not so good at telling you how to protect and strengthen the new […]

I don’t know about you, but on these cold mornings I sure hurt when I get out of bed. My body seems to ache everywhere more than usual. So here are some suggestions. Before getting out of bed roll your wrists and ankles in circles both directions. Reach your arms overhead and stretch from your […]

Lateral elbow pain or pain on the top of your elbow is a condition in which this area becomes sore and tender. Pickleball elbow is an overuse injury that can also be caused by knitting, gardening, scooping ice cream and anything else you do using your wrist in a repetitive motion. The pain can be […]

After competing at both Huntsman and Nationals IV, I have determined that the competition has become the last man/woman standing wins. Some of the best players either withdrew or dropped out because of various injuries, including hamstring strain.   First, a personal story: I tore a hamstring badly during my triathlon career. I couldn’t walk […]