Pickleball has experienced rapid growth in recent years, emerging as one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States and gaining popularity worldwide. Originally invented in the 1960s, the sport blends elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, making it accessible and appealing to a wide range of age groups and skill levels. Its relatively low cost, smaller court size, and social nature have contributed to its explosive rise, especially among older adults and retirees, though it’s now increasingly attracting younger players and competitive athletes seeking social and competitive recreation. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), pickleball participation grew by 51.8% in 2023 alone, marking the third consecutive year of significant double-digit growth. As of 2024, estimates of pickleball players in the U.S. range from 13.6 million people to 48.6 million people, up from just 4.8 million in 2021.
The Growing Concern About Pickleball Injuries
As should be expected, accompanying this explosive growth in participation is explosive growth in injuries reported due to pickleball. Until recently, reported pickleball injury rates have been gleaned from looking back at emergency department data from the last 5-7 years, but this paints an inaccurate picture of pickleball injuries since only the most severely injured athletes visit emergency departments for treatment. Therefore, much of the narrative about injuries in pickleball has been focused on the growth of severe injuries, once again, not an accurate picture of the injuries being experienced by pickleball players, and stoking fear among those considering taking up the sport for exercise and socialization.
New Research Gives a Clearer Picture of Pickleball Injuries
Recently, the Translational Injury Prevention (TIP) Lab at Saint Louis University, in collaboration with PEAK Sport and Spine physical therapists, has published their injury data collected from over 1,700 pickleball players across the U.S. to give a more complete picture of the injuries experienced by pickleball players. This study found that although many pickleball players experience pain while playing, most of the injuries in pickleball are overuse strains of the knee, shoulder, back, and elbow. While these injuries may cause some loss of time from pickleball, catastrophic injuries like fractures and tendon tears were far less frequent than what is reported in emergency room data. While this is good news for the safety of pickleball, it does illustrate the need to develop injury prevention strategies for pickleball players as the sport continues to grow
Don’t Play Through Pain: Physical Therapy Can Help
Pickleball players should know that they don’t have to play through pain! The expert physical therapists at PEAK Sport and Spine Phoenix Physical Therapy are ready to help you address annoying strains and sprains before they become more serious problems that might require a break from pickleball. You can receive treatment from your physical therapist with no referral from a physician, shortening your time to pain relief and return to play. Our experts are trained to evaluate your mobility and strength throughout your body to design a comprehensive treatment plan to address current issues as well as help prevent future problems!
Join the Pickleball Project and Support Injury Prevention Research
Additionally, the SLU TIP Lab and PEAK Sport and Spine have entered a new phase in the Pickleball Project to evaluate the effectiveness of a short, dynamic warm up program and a recovery program for off days developed specifically for pickleball athletes. We are currently seeking participants for this study. If you are interested in participating click below to sign up and participate!
Sign Up Here
PEAK Sport and Spine offers physical therapy, sports medicine, dry needling, cupping, and more to help pickleball players stay active and pain-free. Schedule an appointment at one of our many convenient locations and take the first step toward moving better and feeling stronger. Read more about Stretching Exercises for Pickleball Players to Try.
