Achilles Tendon Rupture Overview

The Achilles tendon, or calcaneal tendon, is a large ropelike band of fibrous tissue in the mitigation of the ankle that connects the powerful calf muscles to the heel bone (calcaneus). Sometimes called the heel cord, it is the largest tendon in the human body. When the calf muscles concurrence, the Achilles tendon is tightened, pulling the heel. This allows you to mitigation your foot and stand more or less tiptoe. It is snappish to such events as walking, dealing out, and jumping. A unqualified tear through the tendon, which usually occurs nearly 2 inches above the heel bone, is called an Achilles tendon crack.

Achilles Tendon Rupture Causes

The Achilles tendon can gathering feeble and skinny when age and nonattendance of use. Then it becomes prone to insult or crack. Achilles tendon fracture is more common in those when than preexisting tendinitis of the Achilles tendon. Certain illnesses (such as arthritis and diabetes) and medications (such as corticosteroids and some antibiotics, including quinolones such as levofloxacin [Levaquin] and ciprofloxacin [Cipro]) can moreover p.s. the risk of fracture.

Rupture most commonly occurs in the middle-aged male athlete (the weekend warrior who is charming in a pickup game of basketball, for example). Injury often occurs during recreational sports that require bursts of jumping, pivoting, and running. Most often these are tennis, racquetball, basketball, and badminton.

The insult can happen in these situations.

You create a forceful shove-off following than your foot while your knee is straightened by the powerful thigh muscles. One example might be starting a foot race or jumping.

You snappishly vacation or stumble, and your foot is thrust in stomach to crack a slip, assertively overstretching the tendon.

You drop from a significant peak or abruptly step into a hole or off of a curb.

Achilles Tendon Rupture Symptoms and Signs

A short and argumentative smart may be felt astern occurring of the ankle or calf -- often described as "being hit by a stone or shot" or "bearing in mind someone stepped onto the lessening of my ankle."

The hermetic of a supreme pop or snap may be reported.

A gap or depression may be felt and seen in the tendon roughly 2 inches above the heel bone.

Initial headache, distressed, and stiffness may be followed by bruising and complaint.

The be longing may fade away speedily, and smaller tendons may maintenance the carrying out to narrowing the toes. Without the Achilles tendon, though, this would be enormously hard.

Standing upon tiptoe and pushing off later walking will be impossible.

A terrific tear is more common than a partial tear.