I have ankle/achilles pain after 2-3hr sessions of playing. I don't roll my ankles and I'd say I have proper footwork. My current shoes are Asics Upcourt 3, a more entry level shoe with little cushioning/impact protection. Would a new, more advanced set of shoes help? If not my current shoes, what else could be the problem and how can I prevent it?
It could be the start of an overuse injury. Better shoes might help, but the real solution is to temporarily limit playing time and do strengthening exercises for the ankle. You can still play, but you should step off the court as soon as it starts hurting, otherwise it could get worse and the recovery will take longer. Also important to find the cause of the overuse. Did you start playing after a long hiatus? Have you upped the intensity of your play recently? Are you playing more (or longer) sessions? Have you done any heavy manual labour recently? Did you recently get new shoes (or new insoles)? If the cause is a sudden increase in physical exertion, then rest followed by a gradual increase in intensity is all you have to worry about. If the cause is shoes, try to figure out the difference between the shoes you are wearing now and the shoes you wore before. Try to understand what your feet need to play injury free. I used to have an overuse problem with my achilles. Everytime I thought is was cured, it came back. It turned out that I have a slight overpronation in my stride, which puts an uneven tension on my achilles. Now I play with special insoles that correct this, and I haven't had any trouble since.
Suspended wooden gym floor I presume. Suspended is very important. Not knowing your BMI and weight, try to get shoes with good cushioning. Like Yonex Power Cushion Eclipsion series. Secondly make sure to stretch your calves and achilles tendon before and after playing. And thirdly as mentioned by Snowhite, you may need orthotics if you have abnormal feet biomechanics. Sent from my SM-G988W using Tapatalk
