Injuries and overuse injuries in padel tennis: a retrospective epidemiological cross-sectional study of a level 1 trauma center in Germany

BACKGROUND: Padel tennis is a trend sport. The sport promises a good workout with low physical demands for people of all ages and physical conditions. It is therefore of great interest to understand the sport better and to be aware of possible injuries and overuse injuries in padel tennis. This could result in possible preventative measures, such as increased education on adapting training and assistance for treating and supervising doctors and medical staff. METHODS: A total of 411 padel tennis players of all levels answered a retrospective questionnaire about injuries and overuse damage which occurred during their careers under the supervision of medical staff. 234 padel tennis players completed the questionnaire in full and were included in the study. Professional padel players are defined as those who take part in competitions. Demographic data and information on injuries in various body regions were collected. In addition, significance tests were performed. Depending on whether a normal distribution was present, the t-test or the Mann-Whitney U Test was performed. RESULTS: The study included 70 (29.9%) women and 164 (70.1%) men, who were on average 37.8 years old. The injury rate for the entire collective was 4.03 per 1000 h of exposure. The most frequently affected body region was the lower leg, ankle, and foot region (77; 18%). Most injuries occur at the wall/net, followed by injuries to the racket. Professional padel players injure themselves significantly more often than non-professional padel players (P<0.001). Looking at the anatomical regions, professional padel players have the most injuries in the lower leg and foot (19.9%; 32) region and non-professional padel players most frequently injured their knee (19.6%; 51). Padel players who do not practice any other rebound sport, injure their elbow significantly more often than athletes who practice another rebound sport (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Padel tennis has similarly high injury rates to other rebound sports and is well comparable to these sports. The injury locations and types are very similar. The results emphasize the need to develop and implement preventive measures to reduce injuries in padel sports. By implementing training programs to improve playing technique and muscle strength, significant progress could be made in reducing injuries and overuse injuries in padel sports.