Table Tennis (activity, Apparel Or Equipment)
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1269
Up 18% over 5 years
The verdict
Table Tennis (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) carry a danger score of 37/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 1,898 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 18% over the last five years.
- 37/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 1,898
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 6.0%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1269 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 37/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,898 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)6.0%
- Fatality rate0.05%
- 5-year trend+18%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Table Tennis (activity, Apparel Or Equipment) (CPSC product code 1269, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 1,898 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 37,966 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 37/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 18% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2024 (3,383 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (1,131 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 5,026 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the ankle (2,202 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 7,776 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 6.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.05%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 0 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 909 | 331 | |
| 5-14 | 4,691 | 2,822 | |
| 15-24 | 5,658 | 2,118 | |
| 25-34 | 2,137 | 1,079 | |
| 35-44 | 2,631 | 1,139 | |
| 45-54 | 2,452 | 1,030 | |
| 55-64 | 2,958 | 858 | |
| 65-74 | 1,444 | 1,895 | |
| 75+ | 1,975 | 1,690 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Face | Laceration | |
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Head | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Fracture | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Shoulder | Other | |
| Lower Trunk | Other | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Foot | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
77YOF WAS PLAYING *** *** AND FELL LANDED ON BACK HIT HEAD NLOC DX MECH FALL CHI
68YOM PRESENT TO ED AFTER SYNCOPAL EPISODE.PT WAS PLAYING PLATFORM TENNIS FELT A WAVE OF DIZZINESS CANT REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THAT.UNSURE IF HS,DURING EPISODE HE BIT HIS TONGUE.PT STATES HE DIDNT EAT DINNER BEFORE WORKING OUT TODAY,CAN USUALLY FEEL WHEN BS IS LOW.DX:SYNCOPE CARDIOGENIC SYNCOPE;HFREF;TRAUMATIC SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE W/ UNKNOWN LOC
85YOM WAS REPORTEDLY OLAYING TABLE TENNIS THE DAY PRIOR HE STATES HE WENT AFTER THE BALL AND FELL AND HURT HIS LEFT KNEE AND LEFT ANKLE DX: CONTUSION OF LEFT KNEE/SPRAIN OF LEFT ANKLE
71YOF C/O L FOOT PAIN STS TRIPED AND WENT TO THE GROUND WHILE PLAYING *** *** DX L FOOT CLOSED NONDISPLACED FRACTURE OF METATARSAL BONE
61 YOM REPORTS ANKLE PAIN HE STATES HE AGGRAVATED PLAYING TABLE TENNIS. DX: NO DX, LEFT WITHOUT BEING SEEN.
66YOM DID REPORT THAT HE HAD A SLIP AND FALL IN THE GRASS AND LANDED ON HIS LEFT CHEST. STATES THAT HE FELL INTO THE SIDE OF A ***-*** TABLE. FRIENDS REPORTED THAT THEY SUSPECTED THAT HE WOULD FALLEN EARLIER IN THE DAY ONTO HIS LEFT SIDE WHILE DRINKING. BAL NOT AVAILABLE. DX:FRACTURE RIB SINGLE CLOSED INITIAL LEFT.
61 YOM EXACERBATED HIS BACK PAIN BY PLAYING TABLE TENNIS THIS EVENING. DX: LOW BACK PAIN.
68YOF HAD A SLIP AND FALL WHILE PLAYING *** *** DX:FRACTURED LEFT HIP
80 YOM C/O UPPER LEG FRACTURE S/P WAS PLAYING ****** AND LOST HIS BALANCE AND FELL. DX: UPPER LEG FRACTURE
29 YOM WAS PLAYING A DRINKING GAME WITH FRIENDS WHEN HE DOVE ON TO THE GROUND TO CATCH A *** BALL AND HIT HIS CHIN ON THE FLOOR. NO BAL. DX: CHIN LACERATION
68 YOF WAS PLAYING *** WHEN SHE FELL LANDING ON HER RIGHT FOREARM. DX: FRACTURE DISTAL END OF RIGHT RADIUS, FRACTURE STYLOID PROCESS OF RIGHT ULNA
77 YOF FELL WHILE PLAYING *** *** LANDING ON HER LEFT HIP, DX; HIP FRACTURE
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) have a danger score of 37/100 (low risk). An estimated 1,898 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment)?
The most common injury is laceration to the face, accounting for approximately 5,026 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) increasing or decreasing?
Up 18% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment) injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 7,776 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment)?
Of all ER visits involving table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment), approximately 6.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with table tennis (activity, apparel or equipment)?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 37/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
