Pickleball's on the rise in Canada. So are injuries from playing it

Edmonton Pickleball players on the court inside Pickleball Hub, an indoor pickleball facility in Edmonton.(Kory Siegers/CBC) Rob McDonald (in the blue) plays pickleball six times a week, three hours at a time.(Kory Siegers/CBC) Chad Burden is physiotherapist and owner of Summit Physiotherapy in St. Albert, Alta.(Kory Siegers/CBC) A selection of protective eyewear on the shelves inside Helio Optometry in Edmonton.(Kory Siegers/CBC) Rita Salter practices pickleball inside Pickleball Hub in Edmonton.(Kory Siegers/CBC) Pickleball injuries on the rise, according to research and medical professionals One study said eye injuries are growing at an alarming rate The action is fast and furious at Pickleball Hub, an indoor pickleball facility in Edmonton. Inside, Rob McDonald, 54, plays with enthusiasm - and with caution. Five years ago, the Edmonton man suffered what he calls a “freak accident” during a pickleball tournament. “My body went behind my knee, kind of twisted in and then blew out my knee, ACL, MCL, everything inside the knee kind of decided to let go," he said. "It was not fun." For three years, McDonald couldn’t play pickleball and underwent rehab. Now he is back on the courts, playing six times a week, three hours at a time, and wants others to be mindful that injuries can happen. “I think most of the injuries come from the first few months of playing and people just haven’t been active or got their bodies up to the idea of the movement,” he said. Injuries on the rise As the sport grows in Canada, medical professionals say they are seeing the effect it is having on people physically. Physiotherapist Chad Burden of Summit Physiotherapy in St. Albert, a suburb outside of Edmonton, said he did not see pickleball injuries five years ago. Now, he sees them every week. “When they start playing, they’re enjoying the sport and so they just get into it and enjoy it. But they’re not thinking necessarily about the potential injuries that they can run into,” Burden said. “It’s good that people are more active. But on the other hand, with activity comes injuries as well.” He said that clients are coming in with elbow, wrist, lower back and knee injuries. “What we’ve seen in the clinic is mostly overuse. It’s sort of that weekend warrior type sort of syndrome where people are just doing too much too soon,” Burden said. His observations mirror the findings in a Sports Medicine Open study published August 2025 that examined the injury patterns of pickleball players in the United States. The 12-month study found the most common injuries were in the knee (29 per cent), thigh, leg and foot (26.9 per cent) and shoulder (22.2 per cent). If left untreated, Burden said a person’s quality of life, such as walking or even picking something up, could be affected. He recommends those playing pickleball ease into the sport, stay flexible, strength train and work on their balance. “It’s a higher impact sport and you’re doing lots ... of starts and stops and pivots and...

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