Science has only just caught up with pickleball. We pulled every record in PubMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s index of medical research, that mentions the sport, then read and classified them. 100 research papers have “pickleball” in the title. 83 of them were published in 2024 or later, and 63 are about injuries. Only three are randomized controlled trials, the strongest kind of evidence, and all three appeared in the last 14 months.
This page is the map: how much research exists, what it covers, the findings worth knowing, and the gaps that remain.
Source: Pickleland analysis of PubMed, searched October 28, 2026 (method below)
How fast pickleball research is growing
Papers with pickleball in the title, excluding errata, letters and editorials. *2026 is January through October 28.
Source: Pickleland analysis of PubMed (search: pickleball), October 2026
From 2018 to 2023, PubMed indexed 17 pickleball papers in total. In 2025 alone it indexed 37. The curve follows the sport: the number of Americans who played went from 4.2 million in 2020 to 24.3 million in 2025, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (see our pickleball statistics). Researchers follow the patients and the players.
What the research is about
Each paper counted once, by its main subject.
Source: Pickleland classification of PubMed records, October 2026
By design, the papers are mostly descriptive:
| Study design | Papers |
|---|---|
| Original studies (surveys, database analyses, lab and field studies) | 78 |
| Narrative reviews | 10 |
| Case reports and case series | 5 |
| Systematic or scoping reviews | 4 |
| Randomized controlled trials | 3 |
Fifteen of the injury papers analyze the same source, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), a sample of about 100 emergency departments used to estimate injuries nationwide. That’s why many headlines about pickleball injuries sound similar: they’re often the same data, sliced by different years, ages or body parts.
What the studies found
Injuries: real, rising, and mostly from falls
- Emergency room visits grew from about 1,300 in 2014 to about 24,500 in 2023, by NEISS national estimates. Most patients were 60 to 79, and almost evenly split by sex (51.2% men) (Sports Health, 2025).
- Falls cause most of them. In a 10-year NEISS analysis, falls were 65.5% of injuries, fractures were the most common diagnosis (32.7%) and the wrist was the most injured body part. Women had 69.1% of fractures (Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2025).
- Hospital admissions rose faster than injuries. From 2020 to 2022, estimated ER visits rose 91% and admissions 257%. Players 65 and older were 2.48 times as likely to be admitted (Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation, 2024).
- Among regular players, minor injuries are common. In a national survey of 1,758 players (average age 62.7), 68.5% reported some physical complaint in the past year and 40.8% had an injury that stopped them playing for at least a day. The knee was the most affected area (29.1%). Players with less than five years’ experience, and those who didn’t value injury prevention, were more likely to be hurt (Sports Medicine – Open, 2025).
- Pros get hurt differently. A review of 113 PPA Tour players over seven years found 75 injuries in 52 players. Half were in the legs, especially ankle sprains, and 68% caused at least one tournament withdrawal (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2026).
What the injury data can’t tell you is a rate: injuries per hour played or per player. Injuries rose alongside a nearly sixfold increase in players, so rising counts alone don’t show the sport became more dangerous. Our guide to preventing pickleball injuries covers what helps.
Eyes: a small number of injuries, and low use of eyewear
- An estimated 3,112 eye injuries were treated in US emergency departments from 2005 to 2024, 1,262 of them in 2024 alone. Severe cases included retinal detachment and orbital fractures (JAMA Ophthalmology, 2025).
- Only 20% of pros at a 2025 PPA event wore eye protection, against 45% of surveyed amateurs. And 61% of those amateurs were wearing their everyday glasses rather than protective eyewear (JAMA Ophthalmology, 2026).
More in our eye protection guide.
Fitness: moderate exercise that counts
- Players work at about 4.1 METs and 70% of predicted maximum heart rate, which is moderate intensity. Over 70% of playing time is at moderate-to-vigorous heart rates in both singles and doubles (ACE, 2018; Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2022). See calories burned playing pickleball.
- The first randomized trials are positive. After 8 weeks of supervised pickleball, 42% of pre-frail older adults were no longer pre-frail, against 8% of controls (International Journal of Nursing Studies, 2026). In another trial, women aged 60 to 75 improved a balance test by 28.5% and walking speed by 13.1% after 8 weeks (Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2025).
- Pilot programs have reported good results for cancer survivors at a YMCA, people with Parkinson’s disease, and sedentary rural adults in Utah. They were small and mostly uncontrolled, so treat them as promising rather than proven.
Mind and social life
- Less loneliness. In a national survey of 825 adults over 50, people who had never played pickleball had 1.53 times the adjusted odds of being lonely compared with current players (Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 2025).
- More play, better wellbeing. Among 1,667 players, playing three or more times a week, and for more than two hours a session, were each linked to higher WHO-5 wellbeing scores (Frontiers in Psychology, 2025).
- A 2023 systematic review of 13 studies found improvements in wellbeing, life satisfaction, depression and stress. Over 90% of the people studied were over 50 (Frontiers in Psychology, 2023).
These are mostly surveys, which show associations, not cause and effect. People who are healthier and more social may simply be more likely to play.
The game itself
- In women’s singles on the PPA Tour, 63.7% of points ended in unforced errors, and servers won 55.1% of points (Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 2025).
- In elite mixed doubles, rallies averaged 10.6 seconds with 11.4 seconds between them (Sports, 2025).
- Courtside noise at public courts measured an average of 69.7 dBA, within US occupational guidelines for hearing safety. Neighbors’ complaints are a different question (American Journal of Otolaryngology, 2024). See why pickleball is so loud.
What we still don’t know
- Injury rates. Nobody has published injuries per 1,000 hours of play, the standard measure in sports medicine. Without it, comparing pickleball’s safety with tennis or golf is guesswork.
- Younger players. Most studies are of people over 50, yet SFIA reports the highest participation rate among 13- to 24-year-olds.
- Long-term health. The longest trials ran 8 to 10 weeks. Whether benefits last, or translate into fewer falls, is untested.
- Calories in singles. Only doubles has been measured with lab equipment.
- Prevention that works. In one 10-week training program for older players who had fallen, hip strength and agility held up while a control group’s declined. No trial has yet shown fewer injuries.
How we built this
- On October 28, 2026 we searched PubMed for “pickleball” and downloaded all 125 records with the NCBI E-utilities interface.
- We kept the 100 papers with “pickleball” (or “pickle”) in the title, and dropped 2 errata and 5 letters, replies and editorials. The remaining 18 records mention pickleball only in passing, such as general sports-injury or Achilles studies.
- We assigned each paper one main topic from its title and abstract, and its design from PubMed’s publication-type tags, checked by hand.
- Years are the electronic publication date where PubMed has one, otherwise the journal issue year.
PubMed covers biomedical and life-science journals. Research in sport-management, economics and engineering journals may be missing. If you’re a researcher and think we’ve missed or misclassified a paper, tell us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pickleball good for your health according to research?
The evidence so far is positive. Lab studies show moderate-intensity exercise, two randomized trials found better balance, gait and frailty status after 8 weeks, and surveys link playing with less loneliness and better wellbeing. Most studies are small and focused on older adults.
How many studies have been done on pickleball?
As of October 28, 2026, PubMed has 100 research papers with pickleball in the title (125 records mention it). 83 of them have been published since January 2024.
What is the most common pickleball injury?
Emergency-room data point to fractures from falls, especially of the wrist, and sprains and strains. Surveys of regular players put the knee first, and most of their complaints are overuse injuries.
Who gets hurt playing pickleball?
ER visits are concentrated in players aged 60 to 79. Women have more fractures, mostly from falls; men have more strains, sprains and lower-leg injuries.
Does pickleball help with loneliness?
In a national survey of adults over 50, people who’d never played had 53% higher adjusted odds of being lonely than current players. That’s an association, not proof that pickleball causes the difference.