Achilles Tendon Injuries
Friday, Oct. 17, 2003 

Your Achilles (a-kill-ees) tendon is the biggest tendon in the human body and withstands an enormous amount of stress. But when the archilles tendon is injured, it can seriously disable you.  Dr. Ken Davis looks at the most common Achilles tendon injuries in today’s Sixty Second Housecall.

The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel bone. Among it’s other functions, the tendon allows the foot to point downward and enables you to stand on your toes.

The two main types of injury to the Achilles tendon are:

• Achilles tendinopathy. This is caused by a series of micro tears that weakens the tendon causing pain, stiffness and loss of strength.  These injuries make it more vulnerable to tear or rupture.

• Achilles tendon tear or rupture. An Achilles tendon can partially tear or completely rupture. While a partial tear may cause mild or no symptoms, a complete rupture causes severe pain and sudden loss of strength and movement.

Achilles tendinopathy and rupture are most often caused by sports-related activity, especially running. However, these injuries can be caused by other activities, including simple movements such as stretching.

Treatment for Achilles tendinopathy includes rest, pain relief, stretching exercises and changes in footwear to reduce stress on the tendon. Treatment for an Achilles tendon rupture includes surgery or casting.

To learn more, join us on-line at wtva.com.  For North Mississippi Medical Center, I’m Dr. Ken Davis.