Pickleball player? The top foot and ankle injuries we see most often
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in Canada, with over 700,000 players in Ontario alone, and an estimated 1.8million players nationally. (1) As any player will tell you, it’s a very sociable sport (6), easy to learn and is low impact compared to other racquet sports. That means fewer related foot and ankle injuries, which is good news for players, and those that do occur usually respond well to treatment from foot clinic podiatrists such as ourselves.
Play-anywhere pickleball
One of the key attractions of pickleball is that you can play it on an existing tennis court in your local park, or on one of the many new courts being built. Pickleball courts are a quarter of the size of a standard tennis court, measuring just 20 feet wide and 44 feet long (6.1m x 13.4m). (2) So there’s less running about, and with a unique no-volley zone either side of the net (known as the kitchen) there’s potentially less lunging and twisting backwards to return shots.
The net is slightly lower, and underarm serves are allowed. Since pickleball uses a lightweight plastic paddle made using graphite, carbon fibre, or composite (5) and an aerated wiffle ball, this results in lower impact on the upper body and limbs too.
Need help with a pickleball injury?
If you love your pickleball but injury is preventing you from playing, just make an appointment at one of our Hunt Footcare clinic in Ontario.
Small court challenges
Pickleball’s much smaller court presents its own challenges and a resulting trio of common injuries.
1. Hard surfaces
Whilst pickleball can be played on concrete, asphalt, Astroturf, clay, and indoor sports hall floors, (7) it’s usually played on a hard surface like concrete. According to a survey by Pickleball Canada, one major barrier Canadians face when trying to play is a shortage of dedicated facilities. (3) Concrete surface offer zero shock absorption, so your feet have to absorb the impact instead.
Resulting injury: plantar fasciitis
2. Pivots and sprints
An active game of pickleball will involve multiple short sprints combined with constant pivots to reach the ball at the kitchen line. These kind of quick lateral movements puts a lot of strain on the ankles which can roll or twist. The lunges and twists to get balls closer to the net can also cause tendon strains.
Resulting injury: ankle sprains and Achilles injuries
3. Stress fractures
Pickleball may be lower impact than other sports, but it’s popularity and informal style means it is also seen as one where you can just get on the court in everyday unsupportive trainers, and play. This can lead to your foot muscles becoming too tired to take all the impact, and the bone takes on the job instead.
Resulting injury: stress fractures
Pickleball injury treatments and prevention with Hunt Footcare
If you love your pickleball but injury is preventing you from playing, make an appointment at one of our Hunt Footcare clinic in Ontario.
Our team specialise in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of sporting foot and ankle injuries. We can treat sprains and strains and draw up a treatment plan to get you back on your feet and back on the court.
We’ll also help with practical advice on preventing future injuries including warm-ups, footwear choices and if appropriate, custom orthotics.
Just contact us for an appointment.
About the author
J.Craig Hunt D.Ch. is founder of Hunt Footcare, one of Southwestern Ontario’s leading providers of professional footcare, podiatric medicine and foot surgery consultation services. He is Past President of both the College of Chiropodists of Ontario and the Ontario Society of Chiropodists. Read more about Craig here.
REFERENCES:
- SIRC. (2026). Pickleball in Canada: 2026 survey. Sport Information Resource Centre. https://sirc.ca/news/pickleball-in-canada-2026-survey/
- Net World Sports. (n.d.). Pickleball court dimensions guide. https://www.networldsports.co.uk/buyers-guides/pickleball-court-dimensions-guide
- Pickleball Canada. (2025). Pickleball in Canada: January 2025 survey. https://pickleballcanada.org/pickleball-in-canada-january-2025-survey/
- ESPN. (2024). What is the most common pickleball injury? Key facts to know. ESPN. https://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/story//id/41417094/what-most-common-pickleball-injury-key-facts-know
- Pickle Xtreme. (n.d.). Pickleball vs. padel: 7 key differences every player should know. https://picklextreme.ca/pickleball-vs-padel-7-key-differences-every-player-should-know/
- CBC News. (2024). Padel sport growing in popularity. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/padel-sport-growing-popularity-9.7232679
- The Ultimate Explainer. (n.d.). Pickleball vs. padel | The ultimate guide Video. YouTube. https://youtu.be/yh9Y9HigOYI
