Frequently asked questions
Short answers, each with its source and a link to the full guide.
Last updated October 4, 2026
Injury numbers
How many pickleball injuries end up in the emergency room each year?
About 29,770 a year, on average, from 2023 to 2025 (95% confidence interval 17,618 to 41,921). That's our own estimate from CPSC NEISS emergency room records. It counts ER visits only, so urgent care, doctor visits and injuries that were never treated aren't in it.
Are your numbers official CPSC figures?
No. They're our own estimates. We run a published method on the yearly NEISS case files from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, so our intervals can differ slightly from CPSC's own query tool.
Why are some numbers marked unstable?
Some estimates rest on too few cases to trust. We follow CPSC's rule: an estimate is unstable if it rests on fewer than 20 cases, is below 1,200, or has a coefficient of variation above 33%. We don't show those numbers, but we always show the case count.
Can I use your numbers?
Yes. Our estimates are licensed under CC BY 4.0. You can share and adapt them, including for commercial use, as long as you credit Pickleball Safety and link to the page. The license covers the numbers, not the text of our guides.
Staying safe on the court
How do most pickleball injuries happen?
Mostly from falls. A Mount Sinai study of US emergency room visits from 2013 to 2022 found that 65.5% of pickleball injuries came from falling, and fractures were the most common diagnosis. After falls, a 2026 review of leg and foot injuries found running or lunging forward, then rolling a foot or ankle.
Sources: Yu J, et al. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2025; Okhovat A, et al. Cureus, 2026
Are older players more likely to get hurt?
They make up most of the ER visits. In the Mount Sinai study of 10 years of ER visits, the average injured player was 64, and people aged 65 to 80 accounted for 61.1% of injuries. Another team found that, once you account for the type and site of the injury, players 65 and older were about two and a half times as likely to be admitted to the hospital.
That doesn't mean older adults should stop. In a Hong Kong trial, 8 weeks of supervised pickleball moved 42% of pre-frail adults out of that group.
Sources: Yu J, et al. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2025; Cheng R, et al. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 2025; Zeng Z, et al. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2026
Does warming up prevent pickleball injuries?
Nobody has tested a pickleball warm-up yet, but the evidence from other sports is encouraging. A review of nine trials found that simple warm-ups, done regularly for months, cut leg injuries. For pickleball, a 2026 review of leg injuries recommends a dynamic warm-up plus some balance training. If you stretch, keep each static hold under 60 seconds, since longer holds cut performance right afterward.
Sources: Herman K, et al. BMC Medicine, 2012; Okhovat A, et al. Cureus, 2026; Behm DG, et al. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 2016
Do I need eye protection for pickleball?
No rule makes you wear it, at any level of play, but eye injuries are rising. A 2025 study estimated 1,262 pickleball eye injuries in US emergency rooms in 2024 alone. If you buy eyewear, look for ASTM F3164 on the label; its 2024 revision added pickleball tests. Everyday glasses aren't protective eyewear, though the American Academy of Ophthalmology says they beat nothing.
Sources: Lacher CR, et al. JAMA Ophthalmology, 2025; ASTM International, 2024; American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2025; American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2026
How can I play safely in hot weather?
The CDC's advice for athletes fits well. Play early or late in the day, drink more water than usual before you get thirsty, wear loose light-colored clothes, and stop and cool off if you feel faint or weak. Confusion, slurred speech or a body temperature above 103°F can mean heat stroke, which is an emergency. Call 911.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024; National Weather Service
When should I go to the ER after a fall on the court?
After a blow to the head, go right away for a seizure, repeated vomiting, growing confusion, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, a headache that keeps getting worse, trouble staying awake, or one pupil larger than the other.
For a hurt wrist, go right away if the pain is severe and getting worse, if it hurts badly when someone gently straightens your fingers, or if your thumb or index finger is suddenly weak.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2025; American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo
How soon can I play again after an injury?
It depends on the injury. On the pro tour, 35% of injured players were back within days, while ACL and Achilles tears ended seasons. NIAMS says rehab usually comes before going back to the sport, and a prior injury raises the risk of the next one. When you return, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says to build up slowly and add no more than one or two new activities per workout.
Sources: Swisher J, Burbank K. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2026; National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH, 2024; American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfo
About this site
Is this site medical advice?
No. Our guides sum up published research for general information, and they don't replace a clinician who knows your health. If you think you have a medical emergency, call 911.
Who writes the guides?
The Pickleball Safety editors. AI tools help us draft, and a person then checks every claim against the source it cites before a guide is published. We aren't clinicians, which is why each claim links to the study or health agency it comes from, and each guide shows when it was last reviewed.