Unfortunately, leg injuries are commonly endured in most racket sports, and pickleball is no exception. Of those injuries, Achilles tendinopathy and tendonitis are among the most common and can leave players in extreme discomfort and pain.
While tendonitis is where the tendon becomes inflamed and irritated due to repetitive strain, Achilles tendinopathy sees actual micro-tears within the tendon, marking the degeneration of collagen fibers composing the tendon. While this condition can lead to more severe injuries if not taken care of, you can slowly recover from it with a treatment plan of rest, stretching, and exercises.
Overuse injuries often happen out of the blue, but there are several ways to help strengthen and stretch your Achilles tendon, which can help prevent severe injuries from occurring. Our personal trainer, Brady Burman-Magday, is here to bring you four warm-up exercises that will help keep that Achilles in check!
Eccentric Heel Drops
Heel Drops and Calf Raises work in tandem to strengthen your Achilles while stretching out several other key parts of your lower leg. According to studies done by Sports Injury Clinic, heel drops, in particular, have proven to help alleviate chronic Achilles tendon pain 90% of the time.
We recommend that you do both drops and raises while standing on a step or a short stool, but they can also be done right on the flat surface of a pickleball court.
- From a standing athletic position, extend your feet downwards onto your toes so you’re in a tip-toe position.
- Raise one of your legs backward, then slowly descend from the tip-toe position so your foot is perpendicular or flat with the ground. Try to make the dropping motion last between 3-6 seconds.
- Repeat this process while alternating back and forth between each foot. Try to do 6-8 reps per foot, 1-2 sets.
Calf Raises With Drops
Calf raises with drops will work similar parts of your Achilles and lower leg as heel drops, but also include an extension in the drop movement that will help improve your range of motion.
- From a standing athletic position, with one foot in the air behind you, extend your feet downwards onto your toes, so you’re in a tip-toe position. This time, move more slowly than you would during heel drops, 3-6 seconds.
- Bend slightly, squat down, and extend the foot that’s behind you in an almost lunging motion.
- Return to the athletic position, switching over to standing on your other leg. Repeat this process for 6-8 reps per leg, 1-2 sets.
Double-Leg Hops
Leg hops combine the benefits of calf raises and heel drops with the addition of helping your Achilles become more resilient to repeated use and mirrored movements to how you’d use your legs while on the court. Jumping back and forth while staying on the balls of your feet will make your Achilles tendon more accustomed to the explosive movements that come with running back and forth from the kitchen.
- From an athletic position, stand on the balls of your feet with your heels lifted off the ground.
- Jump forward slightly, just a few inches, and then jump backward again, only by a few inches. The whole time, you’ll remain pretty stationary, keeping your center of balance in one position while moving your feet back and forth.
- Each rep consists of one jump forward and one jump backward. Repeat this process for a total of about 10 reps for 1-3 sets.
Single-Leg Hops
Single-leg hops go through the same motions as the double-leg hops but introduce the element of balance to the equation. If you find it difficult to remain coordinated while doing single-leg hops, focus on doing reps of the previous three exercises until you have the balance needed to do complete sets of single-leg hops.
- From an athletic position, stand on the balls of your feet with your heels lifted off the ground. Lift one leg directly behind you into a “flamingo” position.
- Jump forward slightly, just a few inches, and then jump backward again, only by a few inches. The whole time, you’ll remain pretty stationary, keeping your center of balance in one position while moving your foot back and forth.
- Each rep consists of one jump forward and one jump backward. Repeat this process for a total of about 10 reps for 1-2 sets per foot.
