Prevent Foot & Ankle Pain: Stop It Before It Stops Your Game

Pickleball is fast and fun! But those side-to-side moves, sudden stops and quick direction changes can strain the arches in your feet and the tendon at the backs of your ankles. This can create painful conditions like plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis—two of the most common injuries I see in pickleball players. Below are my BIG 3 Strategies to halt them in their tracks and prevent them from holding you back!

1. Stretch Your Calves Dynamically

The #1 cause behind heel and Achilles pain is overpronation—or arch collapse—often driven by tight calf muscles. When your calves are tight, your ankles can’t move freely, forcing your arches to cave in as you lunge forward for that low shot. Over time, that strain shows up as pain in your heel or Achilles tendon.

DO THIS: Place one foot on a wedge (or rolled yoga mat/block), half on the wedge and half on the floor. Keep your arch lifted as you step your opposite foot forward. Slowly bend and straighten your front leg 20 times to get a nice stretch at the back of your calf, just below your knee.

2. Massage Your Arches

Your fascia (the connective tissue in your arch) can get irritated and tug painfully on your heel. Massaging over a ball works wonders!

DO THIS: Roll the arch of your foot over a pickleball (or even better—a smaller tennis ball or golf ball) 20 times. This relieves strain and feels amazing. Already hurting? Roll your arch over a frozen water bottle after matches to decrease pain and inflammation and speed healing.

3. Strengthen Your Arches

Let’s now strengthen your arch to prevent that overpronation and make your feet and ankles strong and healthy.

DO THIS: While seated or standing, curl your toes into the floor so your arch lifts. Repeat 30 times, twice a day. This exercise builds the intrinsic muscles of your feet so they can support you through every move.

Prevention Mindset

A few minutes of stretching, rolling, and strengthening can mean the difference between finishing your match strong—or hobbling off the court. Now, get out there and enjoy an injury-free game!

Christine Lynders, PT, OCS, CAFS, PCES is a Kailua-based physical therapist, movement expert, and author of Suck It In. She empowers Oahu’s active community to stay pain-free and in the game with science-backed, injury-prevention strategies. Discover more at YourVirtualPhysicalTherapist.com.