Prevalence of Soft Tissue Injuries in Upper and Lower Limbs among Professional Racquet Sports Players: A Systematic Review

Background: The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence of soft tissue injuries in the upper and lower limbs among professional racquet sports players.Methods: A systematic search was conducted across electronic databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. Articles published between 2000 and 2025 were considered. A total of 90 full-text articles were initially retrieved, and 11 were included in this systematic review based on predefined selection criteria.Results: Analysis of the selected studies revealed a high prevalence of soft tissue injuries at the elbow and ankle joints in the upper and lower limbs, respectively. Regarding injury severity, mild injuries were more common, while severe injuries were less frequent. Specifically, mild injuries accounted for approximately 70% and severe injuries for about 10% of soft tissue injuries at the elbow and ankle joints.Conclusion: This review indicates a high prevalence of mild soft tissue injuries and a relatively low prevalence of severe injuries in both the upper and lower limbs of professional racquet sports players. Furthermore, based on injury grading, there was a high incidence of mild injury (70%) and a low incidence of severe injury (10%) in soft tissues at the elbow and ankle joints, respectively. These findings underscore the importance of targeted preventive strategies to reduce injury risk in these populations.