Wrist fractures in pickleball
Why do pickleball players break their wrists, and how can I lower the risk?
By Pickleball Safety editors · Published October 4, 2026 · Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Why wrists break
Put a hand out to catch yourself and your wrist takes the hit. A fall onto an outstretched arm is the most common way people break a wrist, and past 60, many of those breaks come from a fall from standing height [1]. You don't need to dive for a ball to get hurt.
How common it is
Very. In the Mount Sinai study of ER visits from 2013 to 2022, the wrist was the most injured body part, at 12.7% of all pickleball injuries. Fractures of any kind were the top diagnosis, at 32.7% [2].
Our own estimate puts the wrist second, just behind the head. We count about 13,273 broken wrists from pickleball in US emergency rooms from 2011 to 2025 (95% confidence interval 6,939 to 19,608) [3]. That leaves out breaks coded to the lower arm. You can dig into the numbers on the data dashboard.
Who is most at risk
Mostly older players. In ER visits from 2004 to 2023, players 60 and older had the highest share of both wrist injuries and fractures [4]. Women stand out as well: 69.1% of the fractures in the Mount Sinai study were in female players [2].
Bone strength matters. Osteoporosis weakens bones, and the breaks it leads to happen most often in the hip, the spine and the wrist. It's more common as you age, and in women after menopause [5]. With osteoporosis, even a minor fall can break a wrist [1].
Lowering the risk
Fewer falls means fewer broken wrists, so start with the falls guide.
Then look after your bones. The NIH recommends a diet with enough calcium and vitamin D, weight-bearing exercise such as walking, not smoking, and going easy on alcohol [5].
When to get it checked
A broken wrist usually hurts right away. Expect swelling, bruising and pain when you touch it; the wrist may also look bent or out of place [1].
Some signs can't wait. Go to an emergency room right away for severe pain that won't ease or keeps getting worse, severe pain when someone gently straightens your fingers, or new weakness or trouble bending your thumb or index finger [1].
Sources
- Distal radius fractures (broken wrist)American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, OrthoInfoHow wrists break, the signs of a broken wrist, and when to go to the emergency room.
- Increasing incidence of pickleball injuries presenting to US emergency departments: a 10-year epidemiologic analysis of mechanisms and trendsYu J, et al. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2025A published estimate to compare our own numbers with.
- National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) dataU.S. Consumer Product Safety CommissionThe case records behind every injury estimate on this site.
- Pickleball-related geriatric fractures and pediatric equipment-related injuries are increasing in emergency departments across the United StatesLee PM, et al. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 2025How often injuries come from hitting the ground, and which injuries are most common in players 60 and older.
- OsteoporosisNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH, 2022Who has weaker bones, which bones break most often, and how to keep bones healthy.