Pickleball-Related Fractures in the United States From 2002 to 2022: An Analysis Using the NEISS Database

Background: Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, with more than an 11-fold increase in injuries from 2010 to 2019. Purpose: To (1) determine the prevalence and demographic variables associated with pickleball-related fractures among patients evaluated at emergency departments in the United States between 2002 and 2022 and (2) identify variables influencing patient disposition status. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: The US Consumer Product Safety and Commission's publicly available database, the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), was used in this study. Analyses consisted of descriptive statistics for fracture prevalence and demographic variables as well as univariate analysis for disposition status (discharged home vs hospital admission). Results: A total of 397 pickleball-related fractures were recorded between 2002 and 2022, which indicated a 90-fold increase in our study period. Based on weighted national average of NEISS sampling, this equated to approximately 5400 fractures annually. Players who sustained pickleball fractures were primarily aged >60 years (n = 344 87%; P 60 years, male sex, and fractures to the trunk and lower extremity all led to significantly increased odds of being admitted (odds ratios: 2.27, 2.31, 2.89, and 13.8, respectively). Conclusion: Between 2002 and 2022, there was a 90-fold increase in pickleball-related fractures. Most fractures were of the upper extremity after a fall in women aged >60 years. Despite female fracture predominance, men were 2.3 times more likely to be admitted after sustaining a fracture.