Cedars-Sinai has partnered up to support the fastest-growing recreational sport in America: pickleball.
The Los Angeles system's Kerlan-Jobe Institute — specializing in the treatment and prevention of sports-related injuries and illnesses — has become the official sports medicine and orthopedic partner of the California Pickleball Association for 2024.
Under the partnership, the institute will support the pickleball association's events and offer orthopedic care and sports medicine services to their players, according to an article on Kerlan-Jobe's website.
Cedars-Sinai is not the only healthcare organization to take an interest in pickleball. In June 2023, analysts from UBS Group AG estimated that between $250 million and $500 million in medical costs would be attributable to pickleball injuries throughout the year. Around the same time, UnitedHealthcare warned of rising healthcare utilization rates amid increased hip replacements, knee surgeries and other elective procedures.
Humana recently sponsored four pickleball organizations, touting the sport's "life-changing benefits both on and off the court" — especially for seniors — in a November news release.