Pickleball curse? Popular sport takes injury toll in Key Biscayne
By John Pacenti | Key Biscayne Independent
September 17, 2025 at 12:07 PM EDT
Melissa White, the executive director of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation, tried to resist the siren call that is pickleball. But when her 12-year-old son, Johnny, and her 12-year-old niece, Tori, begged her, White’s willpower wore down.
“For hours, it was ‘Come on, play. We need a fourth. We need a fourth,’” said White, who had never played the popular paddle game before she decided to give it a go on Sunday, March 23. She ended up with a serious injury to her right foot and was soon sentenced to surgery, a cast and a boot, moving around the island all summer, partially incapacitated.
White wasn’t alone during her physical therapy sessions, it turns out. The Key Biscayne Yacht Club’s Commodore, Felipe Porro, snapped his Achilles tendon playing pickleball on Easter Sunday, a few weeks after becoming commodore and right before a planned vacation to the Bahamas.
“The nurses, when I was getting prepped for surgery, were astonished when I told them that it was a pickleball injury, and they were like, ‘What are you guys doing in pickleball? There are so many surgeries being done.’”
It’s not rocket science. As pickleball’s popularity has insanely increased (224% between 2021 and 2023), so have the injuries. The fastest-growing sport in the U.S. is taking its toll because it is often marketed as low-impact and perfect for sedentary people to get moving, a Key Biscayne physical therapist says.
A study published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine in January 2025 reported a 41% increase in pickleball-induced injuries between 2020 and 2021, with older players being disproportionately affected.
Christian Marrero, the clinical coordinator at Key Biscayne Physical Therapy, said he is seeing a big uptick in clients with pickleball injuries. A lot of calf strains, Achilles tendonitis, quad and hamstring strains and rotator (shoulder) cuff problems, he said.
“We have everybody from their 20s to their 70s and even older playing. So a lot of the injuries tend to be from a movement that they have not been trained to do before,” he said.
White can relate, saying her first – and last foray – into pickleball started gloriously.
“I’ll never forget my son because I was all over the court,” she recalled. “At one point, he turned to me and said, ‘Wow, Mom, you’re pretty good.’ And that was all I needed to hear.”
White remembers she was about to slam a shot and planted her foot. “It was like a sniper took me out,” she said. “I literally blew up my foot.”
She wasn’t exaggerating. White snapped her Lisfran ligament, a strong band of tissue that connects the bones of the midfoot to the bones of the forefoot. Eventually, the foot would need three screws to hold everything in place. She just got out of her boot but is wearing an orthopedic shoe.
White said she thinks she aggravated an old soccer injury from her 20s. “You know, I still think I’m an athlete, and don’t realize I’m old, right?”
Porro said pickleball may look a bit like tennis, but relies on different skills. “It’s like playing net against net,” he said. “You’re reaction time needs to be quicker.”
Marrero added, “You’re squatting a lot, bending down, and quick, sudden movements and those quick, sudden movements oftentimes are what can lead to injury.”
Porro said there is a longer recovery time for an Achilles tendon than for a torn ACL in the knee. His injury occurred as his company opened Golfos Lab, a golf simulator on the Key.
“It affects your ability to work. Mine was my right foot, so I couldn’t drive,” he said. “So imagine three months in a boot without being able to drive.”
Here are some basics where players – both old and new – can prevent pickleball injuries:
“For hours, it was ‘Come on, play. We need a fourth. We need a fourth,’” said White, who had never played the popular paddle game before she decided to give it a go on Sunday, March 23. She ended up with a serious injury to her right foot and was soon sentenced to surgery, a cast and a boot, moving around the island all summer, partially incapacitated.
White wasn’t alone during her physical therapy sessions, it turns out. The Key Biscayne Yacht Club’s Commodore, Felipe Porro, snapped his Achilles tendon playing pickleball on Easter Sunday, a few weeks after becoming commodore and right before a planned vacation to the Bahamas.
“The nurses, when I was getting prepped for surgery, were astonished when I told them that it was a pickleball injury, and they were like, ‘What are you guys doing in pickleball? There are so many surgeries being done.’”
It’s not rocket science. As pickleball’s popularity has insanely increased (224% between 2021 and 2023), so have the injuries. The fastest-growing sport in the U.S. is taking its toll because it is often marketed as low-impact and perfect for sedentary people to get moving, a Key Biscayne physical therapist says.
A study published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine in January 2025 reported a 41% increase in pickleball-induced injuries between 2020 and 2021, with older players being disproportionately affected.
Christian Marrero, the clinical coordinator at Key Biscayne Physical Therapy, said he is seeing a big uptick in clients with pickleball injuries. A lot of calf strains, Achilles tendonitis, quad and hamstring strains and rotator (shoulder) cuff problems, he said.
“We have everybody from their 20s to their 70s and even older playing. So a lot of the injuries tend to be from a movement that they have not been trained to do before,” he said.
White can relate, saying her first – and last foray – into pickleball started gloriously.
“I’ll never forget my son because I was all over the court,” she recalled. “At one point, he turned to me and said, ‘Wow, Mom, you’re pretty good.’ And that was all I needed to hear.”
White remembers she was about to slam a shot and planted her foot. “It was like a sniper took me out,” she said. “I literally blew up my foot.”
She wasn’t exaggerating. White snapped her Lisfran ligament, a strong band of tissue that connects the bones of the midfoot to the bones of the forefoot. Eventually, the foot would need three screws to hold everything in place. She just got out of her boot but is wearing an orthopedic shoe.
White said she thinks she aggravated an old soccer injury from her 20s. “You know, I still think I’m an athlete, and don’t realize I’m old, right?”
Porro said pickleball may look a bit like tennis, but relies on different skills. “It’s like playing net against net,” he said. “You’re reaction time needs to be quicker.”
Marrero added, “You’re squatting a lot, bending down, and quick, sudden movements and those quick, sudden movements oftentimes are what can lead to injury.”
Porro said there is a longer recovery time for an Achilles tendon than for a torn ACL in the knee. His injury occurred as his company opened Golfos Lab, a golf simulator on the Key.
“It affects your ability to work. Mine was my right foot, so I couldn’t drive,” he said. “So imagine three months in a boot without being able to drive.”
Here are some basics where players – both old and new – can prevent pickleball injuries:
- Stretch before playing. Marrero suggests dynamic stretching, using rubber bands.
- Hydrate. It may go without saying, but without water, those joints and tendons are easier to injure because a lack of hydration leads to muscle fatigue.
- Don’t play when injured. What seems just like a nagging calf strain can turn into a torn Achilles – just ask Aaron Rodgers.
- And finally, if you’re new to pickleball, take it easy. Start slow and build up stamina.