Musculoskeletal injury patterns and factors associated with anatomical injury location among surveyed padel players in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundPadel is a growing sport in Saudi Arabia; however, data on related musculoskeletal injuries and associated factors are limited. The increasing number of players highlights the importance of understanding padel-related injury patterns and their associated characteristics.ObjectiveTo describe self-reported musculoskeletal injury patterns among surveyed padel players in Saudi Arabia and examine player-, exposure-, equipment-, and injury-related characteristics associated with anatomical injury location among reported injury cases.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire distributed through convenience and snowball sampling to padel players in Saudi Arabia between February and March 2025. The questionnaire collected information on demographic characteristics, playing exposure, equipment characteristics, injury history, and injury-related characteristics.ResultsA total of 600 padel players were included in the analysis, of whom 301 reported at least one padel-related musculoskeletal injury, corresponding to 50.2% of the surveyed sample, with 513 reported injury cases. Upper-quadrant injuries were the most frequently reported (44.1%), followed by foot/ankle (22.4%), spine (18.5%), and knee injuries (15.0%). In multivariable GEE analyses of reported injury observations, weekly playing hours were associated with foot/ankle and knee injury classification. Other significant associations with anatomical injury classification involved ADL limitation, pain severity, recovery duration, recurrence, sex, padel education, and racket hardness, with patterns varying by anatomical location.ConclusionThese findings characterize self-reported musculoskeletal injury patterns among surveyed padel players and identify characteristics associated with anatomical injury location. Prospective studies are needed to determine factors associated with subsequent injury occurrence and to inform targeted preventive strategies.