Examination of the risk factors associated with injured recreational padel players in Spain.

BACKGROUND: Padel is a relatively new sport, with steady participation increases over the past 50 years. However, there is a need for data examining injury and associated risk factors. The study examined how intrinsic (e.g. age and sex) and extrinsic factors (e.g. padel participation and equipment) were associated with injury in recreational padel players.

METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire completed by 80 recreational padel players between September 2014 and March 2015 acquired data on: respondent demographics and padel-related activities; the number of injuries within the past year; characteristics of the last injury sustained; and extrinsic factors including respondents' evaluations of equipment (e.g., racquet control/power, footwear cushioning, flexibility, traction). χ2 tests compared the proportion of respondents reporting injuries in the past year among those reporting and not reporting equipment-related issues.

RESULTS: Most respondents were male (57.5%), aged 30-40 years (46.3%), and played more than 2 padel sessions/week (48.8%). Overall, 40.0% reported sustaining at least one injury during the past year. Sex, age, frequency of padel sessions/week, and years of padel experience were not associated with the reporting of injury within the past year (P>0.05). The proportion of padel players reporting injuries in the past year was greater among those that wore padel-specific footwear than those that wore another kind of sports footwear (50.0% vs. 23.3%; P=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: Recreational padel players wearing padel-specific footwear were more at risk for injury than those not. Our findings highlight the need for additional research regarding injury risk and footwear.