Sports injuries in padel

Padel is currently the fastest-growing sport in the world, both in terms of the number of players and the number of courts built. Its rise over the last two decades has been exponential. As a result of this growth, there is an increase in sports injuries in padel practice among both recreational and professional athletes. Despite this significant growth, there are still few studies focusing on the sports injuries this sport causes.

Studies on Padel Injuries
These studies place the personal injury rate, the number of players injured out of every 100 players, between 50 and 90%.
According to the studies consulted, the injury rate ranges between 2.75 and 3 injuries per 1,000 hours of sports practice.
Every 1,000 matches, there will be approximately 9 injuries.
Some studies link increasing age and an increase in body mass index with an increase in injuries.

Types of Padel Injuries

• If we look at the anatomical location of injuries, most padel injuries occur in the lower extremity (the same is true in studies of other racket sports such as tennis, squash, and badminton), undoubtedly due to the explosive nature of this sport, with accelerations, decelerations, changes in rhythm, and jumps with unstable landings.
• Among the most common padel injuries, the elbow is the most commonly injured joint, accounting for 20% of all injuries.
• This is followed by the foot and knee, both accounting for close to 11%.

If we talk about precise diagnosis, the common injuries are:

• epicondylitis (the most prevalent),
• cervical contractures,
• plantar fasciitis,
• low back pain,
• ankle sprains,
• medial calf injuries, or
• shoulder tendonitis.

If we look at the most frequently injured structures, we find

• the tendon and muscle are the structures that suffer the most injuries,
• followed by the joints and ligaments. The most affected tendons are the common extensor tendon of the fingers (epicondylitis) and the rotator cuff tendons in the shoulder.
• Many of these injuries are attributable, especially in recreational players, to technical flaws, inappropriate equipment, or a lack of preventive measures.

It is important to note that most studies agree that 1 in 4 athletes injured while playing padel tennis will suffer a relapse of their injuries. Correcting the aforementioned factors and improving the technical performance of padel tennis players during training are essential for reducing injuries and their recurrence.

Approximately 45% of injuries in padel tennis players occur in the final stages of matches or training sessions. Lack of physical and technical preparation, combined with overuse, are the most common causes of these injuries, and they usually occur in the upper extremities. In contrast, in the initial stages of sports practice, the lower extremities are the most likely to suffer injuries, likely due to a lack of warm-up prior to the activity.

Several studies have attempted to link the number of hours spent playing padel tennis per day with the increase in the number of injuries. While injury incidence studies in recreational tennis players have shown an increase in the number of injuries in those who practiced more than two hours per day, this relationship between the number of injuries and the number of hours played has not been established in padel tennis players.

Regarding the material used, some studies link round-shaped rackets weighing more than 370 grams with an increase in upper limb injuries. When analyzing the type of shoes, they observed that the majority of players in their study used low-cut shoes with herringbone soles, and that there was a significant relationship between lower limb injuries in their study and the use of omni soles.

Furthermore, most injuries that occur in padel players are classified as minor, related to tendon and muscle injuries in the upper limb. Studies show that 40% of padel injuries do not require medical care or sick leave.

As in all sports, preventative measures are essential to reduce the incidence of injuries. The use of appropriate equipment, proper court maintenance, good physical condition and overall muscle conditioning, combined with technical refinement of the sporting gesture and preparation before and after playing sessions are important factors that will undoubtedly help reduce the number of injuries in padel practice.