Since 2019, pickleball, a racquet sport combining tennis, badminton and table tennis, has been classified as the fastest growing sports in the U.S.
As a result of the sport's popularity, and the fact that a large number of its players are retirees, orthopedic and spine surgeons are expecting to see an influx of pickleball-related injuries.
Over the past two years, the number of pickleball-related injuries has nearly doubled, from under 9,000 in 2020 to over 17,000 in 2022, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.
By some estimates, pickleball injuries cost the U.S. health system $377 million in 2023 alone, according to a Feb. 1 report from Medscape.
As pickleball becomes more popular every year, and as the number of sports injuries from the game continue to rise, orthopedic specialists and clinics are beginning to take a financial interest, Medscape reported.
This year, Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute became the official orthopedic provider of the California Pickleball Association.
The institute will provide players with injury and prevention tips, virtual webinars and Q&As with sports medicine specialists, and its providers will be on-staff to provide care at games.
Additionally, physical therapy provider Select Medical partnered with the Professional Pickleball Association, and health insurance company Humana set up several partnerships with pickleball organizations, according to Medscape.
"The sport is growing the fastest at the grass roots level and it may be of interest for other practices to seek opportunities, and partner with a local organized league or recreational group," Robert Alvarado, director of business development at the Kerlan-Jobe, told Medscape.
Several business opportunities could exist within the sport for musculoskeletal specialists, physicians told Medscape. In Wisconsin, a private group of orthopedic surgeons has opened a walk-in clinic geared toward pickleball-related orthopedic injuries.
The most common injuries that come from the game include strains, sprains, fractures and contusions.