Pickleball's popularity is increasing — and so are game-related injuries

The concept of pickleball is simple. 

Players say it's similar to games like ping pong and tennis, melding them into a sport that values community and competition. 

According to Pickleball Canada, as many as one million Canadians are playing the game, making court time a hot commodity.

Although it has a reputation as a relatively gentle sport that's welcoming to all ages and abilities, a new report by bank UBS Group suggests that a growing number of players are getting injured on the pickleball court. Analysts estimated that medical costs associated with pickleball could cost Americans and their health care providers $377 million US ($502 million Cdn) in 2023.

Those analysts pointed to a study published in the journal Injury Epidemiology in 2021, which found that pickleball injuries increased rapidly between 2010 and 2019, and that 85 per cent of those were sustained by people 60 and over. 

It's a game that can see a 17-year-old paired up with a 71-year-old for a pretty even match. But because pickleball is an easy sport to pick up, that lends appeal to an older crowd, said Toronto Sun sports columnist and avid pickleball player Steve Simmons. 

Simmons says he's noticed that as pickleball's popularity picks up, older players do seem to be racking up sprains and strains.

That uptick in injuries includes his own. Simmons injured his Achilles tendon four years ago. He said the recovery was so brutal that he had to stop playing the game altogether — at least for now. 

But playing can damage body parts that aren't used to the rigours of the sport, especially before players learn proper technique. 

"I see a lot of people, when they start the game, they're too tight," Simmons told The Current guest host Robyn Bresnahan. "They hold the paddle too tight. And once you get a death grip on a paddle, and you start and swing it violently at the same time, you end up pulling a lot of stuff in your arms and shoulders."

And even as people get better at pickleball, there are more potential injuries than they might think. 

"The more common injuries are definitely going to be your legs, hips, ankles," he said. 

Dr. Laurie Hiemstra, an orthopaedic surgeon in Banff, Alta., said she's seeing an increase in pickleball injuries north of the border, too. 

But even so, she says it's been good to see older people embrace the sport — mainly because she's often seen people get less active as they age.