The Benefits (and Possible Risks) of Pickleball

These days it seems everyone either plays pickleball or knows someone who does — estimated to be the fastest-growing sport in the US, though it's not actually new. Invented in 1965 by three dads in Washington state to alleviate their children's summer boredom, it kept a low profile until the COVID-19 pandemic, since when its popularity has exploded.

Pickleball combines tennis, ping-pong, and badminton: the court is one quarter the size of a tennis court, the paddle is larger than ping-pong but smaller than tennis, and the ball resembles a Wiffle ball. Playable in doubles or singles, indoors or outdoors.

Are there health benefits? Yes — a great way to get moving and socialize while having fun; easier on the joints than tennis or racquetball, though it still involves volleying, lobbing, blocking, driving, and serving, challenging several muscle groups plus balance and coordination.

Are there risks? One of the largest demographic groups is people 55+, and reported injuries among this group have skyrocketed alongside the sport's growing popularity. Per the Consumer Product Safety Commission's NEISS database: approximately 17,000 pickleball-related injuries in 2022, up from 9,000 in 2020; a 90-fold increase in pickleball-related fractures between 2002 and 2022.

Most common injuries:

• Sprains — a ligament stretched or twisted, often at the ankle rolling outward.
• Strains — muscles or tendons overstretched, torn, or overused, especially when pushed beyond limits toward the end of a game.
• Rotator cuff injuries — repetitive serving/volleying motions leading to overuse injury.
• Injuries due to falls — sudden direction changes and over-reaching during volleys; scrapes and bruises, or worse, fractures (most commonly wrist; also spinal compression fractures, especially in a backward fall).

Steps to help prevent injury: wear appropriate shoes (adequate support and friction); wear appropriate clothing (not too loose or constrictive, allowing free arm/leg movement); use the right equipment (a comfortable but firm paddle grip — one uncommon injury is a paddle flying out of a player's hand and hitting another player); warm up with leg swings, arm swings, marching in place, and calf stretches; stay hydrated; listen to your body and know your limits, taking breaks as needed; consider taking a lesson.

References

1. Weiss H, et al. Non-fatal Senior Pickleball and Tennis-related Injuries Treated in United States Emergency Departments, 2010–2019. Injury Epidemiology 2021;8(34). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-021-00327-9