Two men in their 40s seriously injured while playing pickleball while saving the ball

(Dan Tri) - Before being seriously injured while playing pickleball, the victims had played tennis and badminton for a long time and had almost no serious problems.

On September 9th, in an interview with Dan Tri newspaper, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Anh, a specialist in Orthopedic Trauma working at a clinic in Ho Chi Minh City, said that he had recently treated two cases of serious sports injuries.

All the patients were in their 40s. The first case involved a man who had played tennis and badminton for many years and had virtually no serious injuries.

Recently, the patient switched to playing pickleball. During a long game, the man was trying to chase the ball when he heard a "pop" sound in his heel and twisted his knee.

At the medical facility, an MRI scan revealed that the patient had a severe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, requiring emergency surgery and an expected lengthy recovery period.

The second case involved a man who had just finished playing tennis and then switched to playing pickleball. The patient also heard strange noises and experienced pain when stomping his foot to return the ball.

Imaging results showed that the patient had a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon and required surgery to repair it.

X-ray images show the patient has a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon (Photo: Doctor).

"A common characteristic of these patients is that they overexert themselves playing sports for fun and enjoyment, and may also play with incorrect technique due to the lack of coaching support."

Regardless of the sport, players need to learn the correct techniques and warm up thoroughly. In particular, don't be tempted to rush to save the ball just because you think pickleball is an easy sport.

"Many patients have come to me for examination due to tennis elbow pain (lateral epicondylitis), shoulder pain, knee pain, back pain, etc.," Dr. Xuan Anh warned.

Prior to this incident, many patients have suffered serious injuries while playing pickleball. In April, a 30-year-old actress was hospitalized with a broken leg right in the middle of a pickleball court in Ho Chi Minh City.

After examination and imaging at the Ho Chi Minh City Orthopedic and Trauma Hospital, doctors noted that the patient had a fracture of the middle third of the left femur, requiring emergency surgery. The surgery was considered quite difficult, as the patient is 1.78m tall and has a longitudinal tear in the left femur.

After careful consideration and preparation, the doctors successfully performed the surgery on the patient using a minimally invasive technique involving pinning at both ends of the femur.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/lao-cuu-bong-hai-nguoi-dan-ong-u40-chan-thuong-nang-khi-choi-pickleball-20250909163154786.htm