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As pickleball grows in popularity, it could come at a cost, according to a new report from UBS.<\/p>\n
The track game, which has been dubbed a fastest growing sport in the country<\/a>, it was projected to cost Americans $377 million in health care costs by 2023 due to pickleball-related injuries. Additionally, the report found that pickleball injuries could account for 5% to 10% percent of total unexpected medical costs this year.<\/p>\n Analysts predicted 22.3 million people will play pickleball this year, with seniors making up one-third of the “core players,” according to the report (obtained by Bloomberg<\/a>).<\/p>\n RELATED: Pickleball is becoming big business for entrepreneurs. Here’s how they’re rebuilding America’s fastest-growing sport.<\/p>\n With its popularity among retirees, pickleball-related injuries occur more frequently in the elderly. According to Study 2021<\/a>more than 85 percent of pickleball-induced emergency room visits between 2010 and 2019 occurred in people over age 60.<\/p>\n The most common injuries in sports are strains, sprains and fractures of wrists and legs.<\/p>\n UBS analysts estimated that pickleball injuries are expected to account for about 67,000 emergency room visits, 366,000 outpatient visits and nearly 9,000 outpatient surgeries this year alone.<\/p>\n “Although we generally think of exercise as having a positive impact on health outcomes, the ‘can-do’ attitude of today’s seniors may pose a greater risk in other areas such as sports injuries, giving leading to a greater number of orthopedic procedures,” analysts warned.<\/p>\n