Louisiana Via Research Day Book 2026

Community / Public Health

115 POST-PANDEMIC GROWTH AND INJURY PATTERNS IN PICKLEBALL AND GOLF: A NATIONAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT STUDY

Son M Le, OMS-I, Jena Dittmar, PhD VCOM-Louisiana

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted physical activity patterns among adults due to restrictions on indoor exercise and organized group activities. As restrictions eased, participation in outdoor recreational sports increased, with pickleball and golf emerging as accessible, low-impact options. National participation and industry analyses have documented substantial post-pandemic growth in both sports, identifying pickleball as one of the fastest-growing recreational activities and reporting sustained increases in golf participation compared with pre-pandemic levels (Sports & Fitness Industry Association; Sports Business Journal). While return to physical activity offers important health benefits, rapid re-engagement may be associated with increased injury risk. National emergency department (ED) injury data provide an opportunity to assess whether increased participation was accompanied by changes in injury burden and patterns. Objective: To compare post-COVID trends in ED-treated injuries associated with pickleball and golf, evaluating differences in injury volume and pattern.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). ED-treated injuries related to pickleball and golf from 2017 to 2023 were identified using sport related codes and grouped into pre-COVID and post-COVID periods. Outcomes included injury counts, patient age and sex, injury type, and ED disposition as a proxy for injury severity. Results: Preliminary analysis of NEISS estimates indicates that pickleball-related ED visits increased in the post-COVID period. Prior NEISS-based analyses demonstrate that national pickleball injury estimates rose from approximately 1,313 injuries in earlier years to 24,461 injuries by 2023, with a transient reduction in 2020 followed by sharp increases thereafter. Most pickleball injuries occurred among adults aged 60–79 years, with a near-equal sex distribution. Falls were the most common injury mechanism. In contrast, published NEISS research on golf has not yet reported complete annual national injury totals from 2017 to 2023, although subset analyses document thousands of golf-related injuries annually, more frequently among male and older patients.

Conclusion: Post-COVID injury trends differed between pickleball and golf, with a greater increase in ED-treated injuries observed for pickleball. These findings suggest that rapid post-pandemic growth in participation may be associated with increased injury burden in certain outdoor recreational sports. Further analysis may help inform injury prevention strategies and patient counseling as adults return to physical activity. Limitations: NEISS captures only injuries treated in emergency departments and likely underestimates the overall injury burden. Participation and exposure data were unavailable, preventing calculation of injury rates or adjustment for changes in sport participation over time. The retrospective design precludes causal inference, and reliance on product codes and narrative review may result in misclassification.

Community / Public Health

IN THE PHOTO: Hannah Khairandish, Class of 2028

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2026 Research Recognition Day