Pickleball-related injuries treated at a tertiary academic center over five years: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Pickleball has grown rapidly in popularity in recent years, accompanied by an increasing number of reported injuries among players. Our aim is to determine the epidemiology of pickleball-related injuries at a single academic center and evaluate patient-specific factors such as incidence and type of injury, mechanisms of injury, and treatment outcomes. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study at a tertiary academic outpatient orthopedic and physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic. We reviewed 164 cases of patients presenting with pickleball-related injuries from 2019 to 2023 involving the shoulder (n = 23), elbow (n = 8), wrist/hand (n = 30), hip/thigh (n = 9), knee (n = 52), foot/ankle (n = 32), and spine (n = 10). Independent variables included age, gender, and hand dominance. Outcome measures included injury type, laterality, treatment modality, and follow-up duration. Demographic and epidemiologic data were analyzed, and comparisons between injury characteristics were performed using appropriate statistical tests (Fisher's exact tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests). RESULTS: The most common pickleball-related injuries included lateral epicondylitis at the elbow (75%), rotator cuff tears at the shoulder (70%), distal radius fractures after a fall at the hand/wrist (60%), Achilles tendon tears at the foot/ankle (50%), radicular pain and spinal stenosis at the spine (50% each), medial meniscus tears at the knee (48%), and hamstring strain or rupture and iliopsoas tendinitis at the hip/thigh (33% each).Rates of injury were similar between male and female players except in the hand/wrist, which was higher among female players (77%). Non-paddle side injuries in the upper extremity occur disproportionally higher in the hand/wrist (52%) when compared to the shoulder (7%) or elbow (17%) (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in laterality for lower extremity and spine injuries. CONCLUSIONS: As pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in America, the incidence of pickleball-related injuries has risen dramatically. Characterizing the wide spectrum of musculoskeletal injuries unique to pickleball may inform athletes on injury prevention considerations and allows for targeting modifiable risk factors.