Understanding Craniofacial Injury Patterns in the Growing Sport of Pickleball: A 10-year Analysis of Emergency Department Visits.

Introduction: Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide. As a result, there has been an accompanying rise in pickleball-related injuries. Despite craniofacial injuries accounting for 12% of all pickleball-related injuries, there is limited research analyzing how these injuries present in this region. This study analyzes the incidence, distribution, and characteristics of pickleball-related craniofacial injuries over the past decade.

Methods: The US Consumer Product Safety Commission's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System Database (NEISS) was queried to perform a retrospective study of craniofacial injuries resulting from pickleball activities. Demographics, product codes, injury anatomic locations, and diagnoses related to craniofacial injuries associated with pickleball-related activity from 2014 to 2023 were assessed. All descriptive statistics were based on raw data from actual cases involving those treated in NEISS emergency departments.

Results: In total, 80,597 craniofacial injuries were reported from 2014 to 2023, with a 54% increase reported over the decade. Most injuries occurred in males (59.2%), with the injury rate rising by 26.5% for males and 107% for females. Head injuries were most common (55.6%, n=47,255), followed by facial (27.47%, n=23,333), eyes (5.97%, n=5,070), mouth (4.87%, n=4,137), and neck (6.04%, n=5,133). Injury rates by location were similar across genders. Internal injuries made up the majority of head injuries (63.2%, n= 30,333) and experienced the largest increase (103%) over the past decade. Lacerations made up the majority of facial injuries, rising 52% over the past year, and were 2.04 times more common in males than in females. The highest injury prevalence was among individuals aged 10 to 14, followed by the 5 to 9 and 15 to 19 age groups, with a sharp decline in those aged 20 to 24. Injury data for all other ages were unavailable as they were likely lower than 1200.

Conclusions: While pickleball injuries are most prevalent among older adults, studies show that craniofacial injuries are much more prevalent in younger individuals. Understanding trends in injury distribution by age, gender, and location can help inform targeted prevention strategies. These findings emphasize the need for optimized emergency department preparedness, increased access to craniofacial trauma specialists, and enhanced safety measures to mitigate injury risk as the sport expands.