Lake Travis - Westlake Edition | June 2023

COMPILED BY ZARA FLORES

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SAFETY ON the court

COURT Pick a There are 25 courts throughout Bee Cave, Lakeway and the Lake Travis area as well as the Austin metro for pickleball.

Pickleball has risen in popularity over the last several years, and Texas has become one of the pioneers of the sport with the second-most places to play, right behind California. According to data from USA Pickleball, the number of courts nationwide has increased from 12,000 to almost 45,000 since 2016. Locally, Austin is one of the top 10 cities to play pickleball, coming in fth nationally but rst for the state. However, along with the increased popularity of the sport, there has also been an increase in pickleball- related injuries. Paul Hendricks, owner of Body Balance Physical Therapy in Lakeway, has been a physical therapist for nearly 30 years and has seen a “signicant increase” in injuries. “All the way from small, little muscle strains and sprains all the way up to people who have had falls and have broken a wrist or fractured a hip,” Hendricks said. A lot of common injuries he sees are to the rotator cu, tennis

LEANDER

ROUND ROCK

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LAKE TRAVIS

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PFLUGERVILLE

A player hits the ball out of the air.

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ZARA FLORESCOMMUNITY IMPACT

MOPAC

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elbow—which is being dubbed “pickle elbow”—and general overuse issues. In the upper body, the most common are shoulder and elbow strains, while the lower body can be prone to knee and ankle sprains. For those recovering from injuries, Hendricks recommends resting, applying ice, using a compression wrap and easing back in slowly. To avoid injuries, he recommends individuals work on their exibility in the shoulders, knees and hips; working on balance; and strengthening the body.

BEE CAVE

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AUSTIN

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BUDA

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NEW BRAUNFELS

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LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION • JUNE 2023