Another Reason to Love (and Play More) Pickleball

As pickleballers, we know there are many benefits to playing pickleball, from improved cardiovascular health to increased social interactions.

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Well, now there's another added benefit to playing pickleball, and it's huge.

Pickleball is helping those with Parkinson's disease.

A recent article from HillRag (a Washington, D.C. news publication) entitled "Parkinson's Patients Learn to Play Pickleball" tells of several people struggling with the disease who have used pickleball to slow its progress and stay mentally and physically engaged.

Rosemary Freeman, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's about two years ago, said, "We play with others experiencing the same challenges. I come off the court with a feeling of accomplishment and the idea I am able to think of myself as a pickleball player rather than a person with Parkinson’s."

If that statement doesn't give you the chills and hit you straight in your polypropylene core, then you may want to check your pulse.

There's also this recent story of a man in Naples, Fla., who credits the sport for helping him with his Parkinson's diagnosis.

In a sport that provides so many benefits for its participants, I think everyone can agree that helping stop or even reverse debilitating diseases is without question at the top of the list.