Barrett Brewer, 47, of Mount Pleasant remembers hearing a pop in his right shoulder as he returned a shot on the pickleball court and thought it sounded like the last strand in a cable splitting apart. "I remember trying to put some English on the ball, so I kind of whipped it a little bit, and I just heard it snap," he said. That led to surgery and then physical therapy on his shoulder that he is just now getting over.
Brewer said friends tease him that he needs a more heroic story for his injury because pickleball seems so tame. Turns out it is not as innocuous at it appears, which thousands of patients in the Lowcountry and elsewhere are finding out. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country but with that explosive growth has also come a rash of different injuries, experts said.
Brewery's expansion plans include Myrtle Beach pickleball complex and Georgetown distillery For the last three years, Pickleball has seen the highest growth rate of any participation sport in the U.S., increasing by 51.
8 percent from 2022 to 2023 and by 223 percent since 2020, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association annual report. It is an easy sport to get into, and with smaller courts appears to be less physically demanding. It is fun to play, combining elements of tennis and badminton and ping-pong, and makes it easier for couples to play together.
It's initial appeal was to older adults, and about 40 percent of those who play frequently are 60 and older, but it has a.