Tennis
BACKGROUND & HOW INJURIES HAPPEN
Tennis combines explosive sprinting, sudden stops, pivoting, and lateral movement, repeated over hours on hard, clay or grass surfaces. The constant acceleration and deceleration loads the calf, Achilles and plantar fascia, while the quick side-to-side movement puts the ankle at risk of rolling. The repetitive nature of serving and pushing off also concentrates force through the forefoot and big toe. This blend of high-speed direction change and repetitive loading is what makes both acute and overuse injuries common.
COMMON INJURIES WE SEE IN TENNIS
Ankle sprains, Achilles strain and tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis (heel and arch pain), calf strains, and tennis toe (bruising under the toenail from repeated stopping and toe jamming in the shoe).
HOW WE CAN HELP
Your first visit is an initial consultation where we take the time to understand your pain: when it started, what aggravates it, and how it’s affecting your tennis and daily life. From there we carry out a thorough biomechanical assessment, looking at how your feet, ankles, knees and hips move and load together. We perform a gait analysis to see exactly where pressure builds through your foot as you walk and move, which helps pinpoint the source of the problem rather than just the symptom. We also complete a footwear assessment, reviewing whether your current shoes and court-specific footwear are helping or hindering you. We then discuss your level of involvement in the sport, how often you play, your training load, your goals, and whether you’re competitive or recreational. With that full picture, we build a personalised treatment plan, which may include hands-on therapy, strengthening and mobility work, footwear guidance, taping, and custom orthotics where they’ll genuinely help.
PREVENTION & SELF CARE
Warm up with dynamic stretches and gradual movement before play, and keep your calves and ankles strong and flexible to absorb the sport’s stop-start demands. Choose court shoes matched to your surface, replace them regularly, and make sure they have enough room at the toe to prevent tennis toe. Build playing time up gradually rather than jumping into long sessions, and listen to early heel or Achilles tightness, as addressing it early prevents a stubborn overuse injury.