Why Are So Many Basketball Players Hurting Their Achilles?

Kevin Durant. Damian Lillard. Jayson Tatum.

Achilles injuries have become one of the injuries basketball players really don't want to hear about.

And it's not just happening in the pros.

Recent research in the U.S. found Achilles tendon ruptures are increasing, with basketball the most common sport associated with ruptures among men and people under 60 in the study.

So what's going on?

And more importantly, what can you actually do about it?

FIRST, WHAT DOES YOUR ACHILLES ACTUALLY DO?

Your Achilles is the thick tendon connecting your calf muscles to your heel.

In basketball, it's working constantly.

Every time you sprint, jump, land, cut or push off, your Achilles helps transfer force from your leg into the ground and back again.

Think about how many times that happens during one practice.

Now multiply it by a season.

That's a lot of work for one tendon.

WHY ARE ACHILLES INJURIES HAPPENING?

There's no single answer.

And that's important.

It's easy to blame the shoes, the court, strength training or one particular exercise. Research doesn't support one simple culprit.

What we do know is that basketball places huge repeated loads on the Achilles, and problems can happen when the demands being placed on the tendon become greater than what it's prepared to handle.

One recent NBA study found players who suffered Achilles ruptures had played significantly more minutes during the 10 to 15 games before the injury compared with their normal season workload.

That doesn't mean more minutes automatically equal a torn Achilles.

It does tell us something useful:

LOAD MATTERS.

Going from a quiet summer straight into tryouts, practices, workouts and games isn't the same as gradually preparing your body for them.

SO HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOUR ACHILLES?

You can't make yourself injury-proof. But you can make your body better prepared for basketball.

1. BUILD YOUR CALVES

Strong calves help your Achilles handle force.

Calf raises aren't just rehab exercises.

Progress from two-leg calf raises to single-leg work and eventually heavier resistance. Research supports progressive tendon-loading exercise as an important way of building Achilles capacity.

Don't wait until something hurts to train your calves.

2. DON'T SKIP THE LANDING

Everybody wants to jump higher.

You also need to be able to come back down.

Basketball constantly asks you to absorb force when you land, stop or change direction.

Train both sides of the equation:

Jump. Land. Stop. Cut. Control. Repeat.

Injury-prevention programs incorporating strength, balance, agility and plyometric training have been shown to reduce lower-extremity injuries in basketball players.

3. STOP GOING FROM 0 TO 100

This may be the biggest practical takeaway.

If you haven't been playing much, don't suddenly pile on:

Practice Monday.

Training Tuesday.

Game Wednesday.

Workout Thursday.

Tournament all weekend.

Your conditioning may feel ready before your tendons are ready.

Increase basketball workload gradually.

4. ACTUALLY WARM UP

Two toe touches and a couple of practice shots don't count. 😂

Before playing, gradually introduce the movements you're about to use:

Jogging. Dynamic movement. Calf work. Controlled jumps. Landings. Short accelerations. Cuts.

Then play.

Basketball warm-up programs combining dynamic movement, strength, balance and jumping exercises have been associated with fewer lower-body injuries.

5. GIVE YOUR BODY TIME TO RECOVER

Training breaks your body down.

Recovery is when it adapts.

That's especially important for young players bouncing between school basketball, rep basketball, training and tournaments.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends young athletes get at least one to two days off each week from competition and sport-specific training and avoid sudden increases in workload.

More basketball isn't always better basketball.

6. DON'T NORMALIZE ACHILLES PAIN

Morning stiffness.

Tenderness around the tendon.

Pain that keeps coming back after basketball.

Don't just keep playing until you can't.

Persistent Achilles symptoms deserve attention. Current clinical guidance supports managing aggravating activity and progressively rebuilding the tendon's ability to handle load.

If it keeps bothering you, get it checked by a qualified healthcare professional.

THE BOTTOM LINE

You can't guarantee you'll never hurt your Achilles.

Nobody can.

But you can give it a better chance.

Build strong calves.
Train your landings.
Increase your workload gradually.
Warm up properly.
Recover.
Don't ignore pain.

Basketball asks a lot from your body.

Make sure you're training your body to handle what your game is asking from it.

STAY READY. STAY PLAYING.