Pickleball Noise Health Impact: Pickleball is growing fast, but so are complaints about the noise it makes. Dr. Kathleen Romito, a retired doctor, has studied how the sound affects people living near courts. Her research found that many suffer from stress, sleep loss, and even severe mental distress from the constant loud popping sounds.
Health Problems Linked to Pickleball Noise
Dr. Kathleen Romito started looking into the issue after courts were built just 57 feet from her house. She tried to get used to it, but the noise began to affect her health.
“It’s bringing people together, it’s providing a sense of community. It is making the world a better place,” said Dr. Kathleen Romito. “I tried, as a physician, to accept it in my house until I started having nightmares about it and started having moments of really weird rage, and just started to notice what was going on in me. And yet I thought it was just me.”
When Dr. Kathleen Romito published her paper in May 2025, she found that the noise did more than cause stress.
“About half of the comments that people are making out there in the public about their response have to do with physical symptoms,” said Dr. Kathleen Romito. “Heart issues, brain or neurologic issues, disrupted sleep, things that we might consider more physical symptoms. (a neighbor says) I wake up in the middle of the night, and my heart is racing, and I think I hear pickleball pops outside.”
She also found severe cases. Out of 133 people who shared their experiences, 23 described it as “torture,” and 35 reported “severe distress.” Two people even said they had thought about ending their lives because of the noise.
Trying to Find Solutions
Experts like Dale Van Scoyk are working to lower the noise. Dale Van Scoyk owns Pickleball Sound Mitigation, a company that helps communities reduce pickleball sounds.
“When we’re looking at court areas, what we usually look for is a barrier option first, a barrier solution first,” said Dale Van Scoyk. “We know what the sounds are predicted to be at those locations (we survey). We know where the limits are, and after that, then we can start to simulate barriers in different locations, different heights, different materials.”
These barriers can be thick padding or special cloths to block sound. But they can cost a lot. In Camas, Washington, the city decided not to build sound barriers because they would have cost between $26,000 and $114,000.
New Gear Could Help
Another option is to switch to quieter paddles and balls. Dale Van Scoyk said paddle design is the main reason for the loud popping.
“We have tested a lot of paddles, hundreds,” said Dale Van Scoyk. “We have what’s known as the ‘Blue List’ of paddles. If there’s a whole spectrum of paddles, if you can eliminate the noisiest half, that, you’ve done something. You get out the noisiest ones, the ones that have that loudest pop, until we get down to a number of models that will be acceptable for that location.”
Companies are also working on quieter balls. Accel Digital Sports in Grand Rapids, Michigan, created the DigiPro ball, which is much quieter but costs $30 each.
“It’s pretty interesting ball,” said Dale Van Scoyk. “You can’t hear it at all. The bounce is the same, the size is the same, the weight is the same. In general, the wind doesn’t affect it at all. Those are factors that, in pickleball, make a difference. But how fast the popularity grows? We’ll just have to see.”
What Happens Next?
Dr. Kathleen Romito thinks there need to be more discussions and studies about how the noise affects people. She believes moving courts indoors may be the best way to protect neighbors.
“I don’t envy the people, the decision-makers,” said Dr. Kathleen Romito. “I understand that there are politics involved, that there’s money involved, and yet we as a society generally don’t put dog kennels or shooting ranges or hockey rinks right next to homes. It was an easy solution during the pandemic to use those tennis courts, but I think it’s time to realize, pickleball, for the most part, in urban areas, probably belongs indoors, and we need to find new solutions.”
As more courts are built, cities and manufacturers will need to decide how to balance the sport’s growth with the health of nearby residents.
News in Brief: Pickleball Noise Health Impact
Research by Dr. Kathleen Romito shows that pickleball noise can cause stress, sleep problems, and severe mental distress. Experts like Dale Van Scoyk are trying to help with barriers, quieter paddles, and softer balls. Some believe moving courts indoors may be the best long-term fix.
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