Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40847179›Full record

ArticleSports medicine - open2025

Understanding Injury Patterns and Predictors in Pickleball Players: A Nationwide Study of 1,758 Participants.

Oluwatoyosi B A Owoeye, Ted Yemm, Ryan Blechle, Mitchell Wayne, Dawn Kennedy, Wassim Mourad, Katie Stamatakis, Timothy Howell

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Article in Sports medicine - open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Oluwatoyosi B A OwoeyeTranslational Injury Prevention Lab, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Doisy College of Health Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA. olu.owoeye@health.slu.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5984-9821
Ted YemmPEAK Sport and Spine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Ryan BlechleSSM Health-Select Physical Therapy, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Mitchell WayneTranslational Injury Prevention Lab, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Doisy College of Health Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Dawn KennedySSM Health-Select Physical Therapy, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Wassim MouradDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Katie StamatakisDepartment of Epidemiology, College for Public Health & Social Justice, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Timothy HowellTranslational Injury Prevention Lab, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Doisy College of Health Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA.

Funding

NA NA
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite pickleball's rapid growth in the United States, research regarding the patterns and predictors of injuries remain sparse.

objectivesTo describe the prevalence and characteristics of injuries, including time-loss (stopping play for at least a day) and non-time-loss injuries, and evaluate the predictors of injuries in pickleball players.

methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted. Pickleball players ≥ 18 years of age across the United States, who participated in pickleball at least once a month, were invited to take a pre-validated survey. The primary outcome was self-reported all-complaint injuries, including any physical complaints in the past 12 months.

resultsA total of 1,758 participants (mean age: 62.7 ± 13.0 years) were included in the final analysis. The 12-month prevalence of all-complaint injuries was 68.5% (95% CI: 66.3-70.7%), with time-loss injuries at 40.8% (95% CI: 38.5-43.1%) and non-time-loss injuries at 51.2% (95% CI: 49.4-54.1%). The point prevalence of pain/ongoing injuries was 35.9% (95% CI: 33.1-38.7%). The knee reported the highest injury prevalence (29.1%) followed by combined lower extremity regions of thigh, leg and foot (26.9%), shoulder (22.2%), back (19.9%) and elbow (18.4%). The top "most serious" injury types were overuse/chronic conditions (35.3%), joint/ligament sprains (23.8%), and muscle strains/pulls (20.7%). Based on a multivariable logistic regression, significant predictors of injury included male sex (OR: 1.33, 95%CI: 1.07-1.65, p = 0.011), higher frequency of weekly play (OR: 1.45, 95%CI: 1.15-1.84, p = 0.002), fewer years (< 5 years) of play experience (OR: 1.50, 95%CI: 1.19-1.90, p = 0.001), low/moderate perception of injury prevention importance (OR: 2.02; 95%CI: 1.52-2.67, p < 0.001), and age categories ranging from 33 to 77 years (ORs ranging from 1.83 to 3.11, p ≤ 0.009). Neither increased duration of play nor higher body mass index significantly increased the odds of injury.

conclusionsInjuries are common among pickleball players, with 69% experiencing at least one all-complaint injury annually, including two in five sustaining injuries that halt play and one in three continuing to play despite pain. These findings underscore the need for tailored injury prevention strategies to optimize the health benefits of pickleball. Identified predictors will inform future injury prevention initiatives in pickleball.

Indexed as

EpidemiologyPickleball injuriesPreventionRisk factors

Identifiers

PMID40847179
PMCPMC12373573

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.