The Effects of Acute Plantarflexor Stretching on Ankle Biomechanics during Pickleball Maneuvers

BACKGROUND: Although there is literature on the effects at the ankle for forward and lateral lunges, and variations in their execution, little is known about pickleball-specific movements investigated and their effects on the lower extremity, specifically the ankle.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study will be to investigate effects of acute static stretching on ankle biomechanics during pickleball-style movements.

METHODS: A priori power analysis was performed using G*Power v3.1 software. For a medium effect size of 0.5, an alpha of 0.05, and 80% power, 27 participants will be needed to test for statistically significant pre-test versus post-test within-subjects mean differences. Participants will be at least 18 years old and have played pickleball at least once. Participants will also be recreationally active at least 3 days per week for a minimum of 30 minutes each session. This will require two separate days to test for baseline and experimental measurements. A one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to detect differences between the pre-test and post-test dependent variables.

RESULTS: We hypothesize that 1) static ankle stretching will increase ankle dorsiflexion range of motion during pickleball cutting and lunge tasks; 2) ankle angular velocity would increase after stretching during cutting tasks; 3) external ankle moment would not be different after stretching; and 4) ankle power would not be different after stretching.

CONCLUSION: Understanding these injury mechanisms can highlight the importance of further researching dangerous pickleball maneuvers with the sport’s increasing popularity.