The Most Preventable Pickleball Injury Is Also the Most Common

Let’s talk about something no one likes to admit:

Falling.

Not slipping up on a serve or missing a volley, we mean actually falling. The kind where your foot catches mid-lunge or your balance gives out during a cut… and the next thing you know, you're on the ground.

Maybe it’s a rolled ankle.
Maybe it’s a bruised ego.
Maybe it’s a fractured wrist or worse.

It happens more than you think. And it costs more than you realize.

The Most Common Injury in Pickleball? Falling.

According to a massive 10-year analysis of emergency department records, falling is the #1 cause of pickleball injuries— responsible for over 65% of ER visits related to the sport.

Let that sink in.

Not paddles to the face. Not collisions. Not overuse.
Just simple, hard landings from tripping, slipping, or losing balance.

And the injuries that follow? Brutal:

Wrist fractures from trying to break the fall
Hip and pelvic fractures (especially in players over 60)
Head injuries like concussions or contusions
Ankle sprains and knee ligament tears
Rotator cuff damage from awkward landings

Most players shrug off balance issues. Until they’re in a walking boot.

Why Do So Many Players Fall?

It starts with imbalance.

In the first real-world clinical study of its kind, researchers used hospital-grade motion capture to test balance in pickleball players wearing popular athletic shoes versus SQAIRZ.

The results were clear: players wearing SQAIRZ improved their balance by an average of 15.5%.

That’s the difference between staying upright and going down hard.

Because most falls start when your feet aren’t stable. When your shoes throw off your base, your entire body compensates. That micro-instability travels up the chain, affecting how you plant, pivot, and recover. Over time, it leads to fatigue. In a split second, it leads to a fall.

And the most common culprit? Running shoes.

They’re comfortable. Broken in. Trusty.
But on a pickleball court? They’re one of the fastest ways to get hurt.

The Problem With Running Shoes

Running shoes are designed for forward motion. They’re tall, soft, and squishy to absorb heel-to-toe impact.

But pickleball is a lateral sport.

You’re shuffling side to side. You’re pivoting. You’re planting and pushing and running shoes weren’t made for any of that.

Here’s what’s working against you:

Tall heel lifts push you farther from the court, destabilizing every cut
Soft midsoles compress and collapse under lateral force
Narrow platforms reduce your base of support
Zero lateral reinforcement means every pivot puts your ankle at risk

What feels “bouncy” during a jog becomes a slip hazard the moment you try to stop short or change direction fast.

The True Cost of a Fall

Now zoom out.

In one year, pickleball-related injuries cost Americans $377 million in medical expenses — according to financial analysts at UBS.

That includes:

67,000+ emergency room visits
366,000+ outpatient injury treatments
About 80% of these costs coming from urgent care, imaging, and orthopedic specialists

Most of these injuries were not freak accidents.
Just people falling — because their shoes couldn’t keep up.

Most Brands Miss the Mark

Even “court shoes” from big-name brands aren’t always built for pickleball.

Here’s what we found when we compared the XRZ™ against some of the most common footwear worn on-court:

Wilson – Soft foam collapses under pressure
HOKA – Sky-high midsoles tip you off balance
Nike – Narrow base reduces ground contact and power
Skechers – Cushioned comfort, but zero structure
ASICS/HEAD/K-Swiss – Designed for tennis, not pickleball’s shorter, sharper movements
Cypher, Tyrol, DAPS – Lightweight but lack durability or lateral control

They either compress, slip, or throw off your alignment — and that’s exactly when falls happen.

How the XRZ™ Stops Falls Before They Start

We built the SQAIRZ XRZ™ Pickleball Shoe for one mission: keep players on their feet.

What Sets XRZ™ Apart:

SmartTraction™ Outsole
Custom grip pattern for court surfaces. No slips, no stutter steps, just confidence.
Reinforced Lateral Stability
Sidewalls and a flared base absorb the torque of every cut and shuffle.
Roomy Toe Box
Lets your toes spread and stabilize — the key to natural balance.
NRGFoam™ Midsole + GripSync™ Insole
Cushioning where you need it. Ground feel where you want it.
Lower Profile Geometry
Keeps you closer to the ground for better control and fewer rolled ankles.