Are You a Weekend Warrior? Watch Out for Achilles Tears

Every year, sports fans watch favorite players suffer season-ending Achilles tendon tears. But you may not realize that these debilitating injuries are also frequently experienced by “weekend warriors” playing pickleball and other sports.

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body, connecting your heel bone to your calf muscle. It plays a major role in your body’s ability to walk, run and jump. Injuries – including full or partial tears – are common in sports, particularly among adults who don’t train regularly but who take part in sports that involve jumping and sprinting.

In the case of minor tears, there may be no symptoms. But with more significant tears, symptoms include:

• Feeling like someone has kicked you in the calf
• A popping sound when the injury happens
• Pain and swelling in your heel
• Inability to bend your foot downward
• Inability to stand on your toes

What Causes a Tear?

One of the more notable examples of a tear occurred during Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. Early in the final game of the series, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton collapsed to the floor after making a sudden move up the court.

As is typical with these injuries, that burst of activity pushed the tendon to its breaking point. Tendons can also be ruptured by sudden stops or changes of direction, making them more common in sports like football, soccer, basketball, tennis and, increasingly, pickleball.

The massively popular sport – similar to tennis – has spawned a major increase in Achilles tendon injuries by creating a new population of weekend warriors. Pickleball is particularly popular with older people, who often lack the conditioning needed to protect themselves from this injury.

Early Warning Signs

The Tyrese Haliburton injury offers an interesting look at whether these injuries can be predicted. Heading into that game, there was considerable speculation about lingering tightness in the player’s calf muscle. Some even questioned whether he was at risk for an Achilles tear.

But while a strain or tightness in the calf may suggest higher risk for injury, these tears often occur without warning. It is not uncommon to see a professional athlete rupture a tendon with no previous calf issues.

But this is something to keep in mind for weekend warriors. If you are experiencing tightness or lingering pain in your calf muscles after playing sports, it may be worth adjusting your activity level or talking with a sports medicine specialist.

This is one of those instances where that old “no pain, no gain” mantra could put you at risk for a significant injury.

Ramp Up Your Activities

Reducing risk, particularly for weekend warriors, means recognizing the importance of giving your body time to prepare for more intense activities.

When you start a new high-impact sport, take it slow in the beginning. Start by enjoying it in a non-competitive manner. With pickleball, for example, spend some time volleying the ball with a friend without keeping score.

Also work on sport-specific drills, exercises and stretches that will help your body understand what you are asking it to do. And when it’s time to start competing, be sure to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes warming up before your match or game begins.

Jumping straight from the couch to the court is a recipe for trouble.

Other strategies:

• Work on strengthening and stretching your calf muscles: One of the most effective stretches is the calf stretch used by runners. Start by facing a wall and placing both hands against the wall. Then put one leg behind the other and lean forward, stretching the calf on that rear leg for 30 seconds. You should feel the calf muscle pull, without causing pain.
• Mix things up: Instead of playing only one high-impact sport, spend some time with low-impact activities, including walking, biking or swimming.
• Be careful with running surfaces: Running on hard or slippery surfaces can increase your risk for injury.

This content is not AI generated.