Know what to try after court or course soreness

Stop before your steps become slow or uneven

Tired legs don't lift your feet or slow your body as well. One more game can then end with a hard reach or fall.

End play before your footwork becomes slow or uneven. Shoes with firm grip and steady leg exercises may help you stay in control.

After a fall, don't go back if you feel confused or weak. A new change in the joint's shape or lost weight-bearing needs quick care.

Count the walking as well as the swings

A round asks more of your body than the swings alone. Walking, bending, practice balls, and another round soon afterward all increase the work.

Cut back first on the part that brings the soreness. You might still putt, walk less, or spend less time at the range.

Sharp pain or a weaker grip isn't a normal cost of golf. New swelling or weakness deserves an exam before another round.

Ask whether rest and exercise are enough

Bring notes about the painful move, past X-rays, and care you've tried. Ask which part of the exam explains the soreness you feel during play.

If rest and exercise haven't settled it, the QC Kinetix team in Peoria offers regenerative treatments, which are non-surgical choices its staff make with your blood. Compare the full cost and number of visits with your other care choices.

It's fine to leave the first talk without choosing care. Ask what may help now and which exam results would lead to different care.

Sources

1. A ten-year analysis of the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System covering adults aged 55 and over in 12 popular non-contact and limited-contact sports found 5,561 cases, a national estimate of 287,255 injuries. Golf (22.8%), pickleball (17.0%), tennis (13.4%) and weight lifting (12.9%) accounted for most of them. Sprains and strains were most common overall (56.9%), but fractures predominated in pickleball, tennis, baseball and soccer, fracture risk rose steeply with age, and pickleball injuries increased 925% since 2014, overtaking golf as the highest-incidence sport in recent years.

   Qi A, et al. — Sports-Related Orthopaedic Injuries in the Older Athlete: A 10-Year NEISS Database Analysis.. Orthop J Sports Med, 2025. DOI: 10.1177/23259671251360439.

2. A NEISS analysis of pickleball injuries from 2012 to 2021 found 53,649 weighted cases. Players aged 65 and over accounted for 83% of injuries, though the younger group's annual rate of increase was higher. Slips, trips, falls and dives caused 64.3% of injuries. Older players were about three times more likely to sustain fractures (OR 2.96) and to be injured by a fall (OR 2.75); younger players were more likely to sustain strains and sprains (OR 1.86) from sudden stops and lunging.

   Kulkarni R, et al. — Epidemiology of pickleball injuries by age group treated in emergency departments in the United States.. Phys Sportsmed, 2025. DOI: 10.1080/00913847.2025.2539062.

3. In 25 randomised trials covering 26,610 participants and 3,464 injuries, STRENGTH TRAINING reduced sports injuries to less than a third (RR 0.315, 95% CI 0.207-0.480) and proprioception training roughly halved them (RR 0.550, 0.347-0.869), while STRETCHING showed no protective effect at all (RR 0.963, 0.846-1.095). Overuse injuries specifically were nearly halved by exercise programmes (RR 0.527, 0.373-0.746).

   Lauersen JB, et al. — The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.. Br J Sports Med, 2014. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538.

4. The updated evidence-based ankle sprain guideline states that ligament damage severity is assessed most reliably by DELAYED physical examination 4-5 days after the injury; that after a short period of immobilisation the patient benefits most from tape or a brace combined with an exercise programme; that NSAIDs may reduce pain and swelling but are not without complications and MAY SUPPRESS THE NATURAL HEALING PROCESS; that supervised exercise-based programmes are preferred over passive modalities; that surgery should be reserved for cases not responding to comprehensive exercise-based treatment; and that ankle braces are efficacious for preventing recurrence.

   Vuurberg G, et al. — Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of ankle sprains: update of an evidence-based clinical guideline.. Br J Sports Med, 2018. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-098106.

5. The 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport consensus statement, from Amsterdam in October 2022, was informed by 10 systematic reviews over three and a half years and produced revised assessment tools (CRT6, SCAT6, Child SCAT6) plus a new office assessment tool (SCOAT6). It summarises evidence-informed principles of concussion prevention, assessment and management, including the athlete's perspective, para athletes, medical ethics, retirement and potential long-term effects.

   Patricios JS, et al. — Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport-Amsterdam, October 2022.. Br J Sports Med, 2023. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2023-106898.

6. The National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement on exertional heat illnesses sets out prevention, recognition and treatment recommendations and states that exertional heat stroke remains one of the leading causes of sudden death during sport. It calls for venue-specific emergency action plans and for providers to be prepared to respond rapidly.

   Casa DJ, et al. — National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Exertional Heat Illnesses.. J Athl Train, 2015. DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-50.9.07.