Bay Area ER doctor sees about one pickleball injury a week

Pickleball injuries becoming more common

FOX 13's Kailey Tracy shares what doctors are saying about the injuries that they are seeing from pickleball.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - When Dr. Michael Nguyen isn’t working in the ER at Orlando Health Bayfront in St. Petersburg, you can probably catch him on a pickleball court.

"I fell in love instantly," he said. "I play probably three to four times a week. It depends on my work schedule and whatnot, but I try to get out there whenever I can."

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The sport has unfortunately followed him to work, though.

"I think over the past couple of years with the explosion of pickleball, there's definitely been more injuries," he said. "I probably see about one a week."

He said the most common injuries are orthopedic-related, like a sprained ankle, from falling or slipping.

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"Occasionally, I see some broken bones as well and sometimes some eye injuries," Dr. Nguyen said.

Dig deeper:

A study recently released by the National Institutes of Health looked at pickleball-related injuries in ERs across the United States between 2013 and 2022. It said injuries in 2022 were 22-fold greater than in 2013.

Falls were the most common cause, and fractures were the most common diagnosis, with people 65-80 years old leading the pack.

"A lot of the injuries happen from falling or slipping a lot of times due to wet courts or wearing improper attire or improper shoes. I think older people definitely make the majority of the injuries just because they're a little bit more fragile. They may not be used to moving as quickly, but I've seen injuries in like young healthy athletes as well," Dr. Nguyen said.

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What you can do:

He said make sure you wear court-specific shoes for pickleball or tennis, and don’t let this scare you from dinking it around.

"I think everyone should get out there if you haven't played it yet and enjoy the sport, but just make sure you take the proper precautions to minimize the risk of injury," Dr. Nguyen said. 

"It's just like any other athletic injury. Anytime you do an athletic activity, you're at risk for hurting yourself," he said.