Pickleball-Related Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines many of the elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. It is reported to be one of the faster growing sports in the United States and is popular among older adults. There is limited published information on pickleball-related injuries.

The objective of this study was to describe pickleball-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments (EDs).

An analysis was performed of pickleball-related injuries using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission during 2001-2017.

A total of 300 pickleball-related injuries were identified, resulting in a national estimate of 19,012 injuries. The annual estimated number of injuries increased during 2013-2017. Patients 50 years or older accounted for 90.9% of the patients; 50.4% were male. The injury occurred at a sports or recreational facility in 74.3% of the cases. The most common injuries were strain or sprain (28.7%) and fracture (27.7%). The affected body part was the lower extremity in 32.0% of the cases and upper extremity in 25.4%. The patient was treated or evaluated and released from the ED in 88.0% of the cases.

Based on NEISS data, pickleball-related injuries have been increasing in recent years. Although pickleball-related injuries have many similarities with those associated with other racquet sports, there were various differences (e.g., increasing trend and older patient age) that may need to be considered for the prevention and management of injuries related to the sport.