Achilles Tendon Injuries

Have you ever felt like somebody shot at your back heel when doing some exercises? If so, you may as well have hurt your heels badly and injured your Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon is fibrous connective tissue that connects the heel to the muscles of the lower leg (calf muscles).It connects the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneusbone.It is very essential to such activities such as walking, running, and jumping. The name Achilles tendoncame from, Achilles' heel which in turn came from Greek mythological hero Achilles who was invincible apart from his heels and so the name Achilles tendon injuries came from. Even if Achilles tendon is the thickest and strongest tendon in the body, it gets ruptured more frequently than any other tendon in body because of the constant heavy pressure placed on it. These injuries mostly happen to middle aged athletes. There are mainly two types of injuries, which affect Achilles tendon. Achilles Tendonitis and Achilles tendon Rupture.Achilles Tendonitis is caused in almost all cases by excessive training over an extended period of time.Achilles Tendon Rupture is a tear of the tendon, which occurs as the result of a sudden, unexpected force.Achilles Tendon Rupture is more dangerous than many other tendon injuries. Explore the following pointers to know about symptoms and treatment for Achilles tendon injuries. 

 

Symptoms And Treatment For Achilles Tendon Injuries 

 

There are mainly three stages for tendinitis.

 

The affected person may feel a pain in the heel while doing exercises or any other such strenuous activity. The pain often appears in the early stage of exercises. It generates an inflammation of sheath in a tendon.

 

This stage never shows a symptom but gradually a swelling will be formed in the back of the leg as a result of this phase.

 

This is a combination of the first two stages, which may result in intense pain and swelling in the back of the leg due to a complete rapture of tendon.

  

You may feel like somebody kicked or shot at back of your calf. This sudden pain is one of the most prominent symptoms. You may even hear a sound of a loud pop at your heel. The initial pain and swelling may be followed by mental and physical weakness. 

A test of squeezing the calf muscles while a patient lies on the stomach would indicate if the tendon is still connected or not .Ultrasound and MRI test can also help to diagnose Achilles tendon injury. These tests can even help doctors in deciding which treatment can work much better for the patient. It's unfortunate that your Achilles tendon rupture may misdiagnose as just a minor tendon injury. The ability to continue the activities even when the swelling is there on your heel is the prominent reason for this misunderstanding. 

 

Only an orthopedic surgeon can decide what kind of treatment should be taken. Both surgical and nonsurgical treatments are there to cure this illness. The damaged tendon has to be sutured by opening the skin. Risks such as infection, scarring, accidental nerve injury, and blood clots may happen in the surgery. Most of the time, sport personalities who get affected by this illness prefer surgery as a treatment. Regular physical therapy may help the patients to be back on track after the surgery. Non-surgical treatments have also worked for some patients. This kind of treatment includes orthotics, casting, special braces, and physical therapy. These treatments are often used for non-athletes because they generally do not have to perform tremendous physical activities.