Achilles Tendon Grabbing You?

Amongst all the exciting playoff basketball with March Madness, David Beckham will have plenty of time to watch all the action at home. He unfortunately suffered an Achilles Tendon rupture on March 14th during a match against Italian football club Chievo. Achilles tendon ruptures, although not too common, can be quite difficult to treat.

Achilles tendon tears/ruptures most frequently happen to the “weekend warrior.” They often happen to people who are a bit out of shape, and a few years removed from their heavy activity days. They go out for a random pick-up basketball or football game with friends, don’t warm up slowly and gradually, don’t stretch, and end up tearing their Achilles. They can also happen by overuse, improper footwear, certain drugs (such as steroids and an antibiotic class known as quinolones), and direct injury. People usually describe the injury as though they have been kicked in the back of the leg, hear or feel a loud pop, and feel a sharp and intense pain.

The Achilles Tendon functions as fibrous tissue that connects the heel to the muscles of the lower leg. It is a very strong tendon, but unfortunately has one downfall! There is an area known as the “watershed” region, which is where most of the tears occur. This is because it is an area of very poor blood supply, so it does not get as much nutrition from blood supply as the other areas. Depending on how bad the tear is, there are several different options for treatment.

If the tendon is only strained, then a regimen of rest, followed by strengthening and stretching can be implemented. In order to provide maximum rest, the foot and ankle can be casted or placed in some type of controlled motion boot. Not allowing the foot and ankle to move is crucial to hearling! If there is an actual tear, often times surgical intervention is necessary. They will cut out the part of tendon that is torn/damaged. At that point, with a small tear they can sometimes sew together the healthy portion of tissue, or with a larger tear they can use a graft or synthetic Achilles tendon to replace the one that was torn, and sew it in place of the tendon that was taken out.

Achilles tendon ruptures are an unfortunate injury to happen to anyone, but with proper care and treatment provided by your podiatrist, you can get back in to the game quickly!


The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness about common conditions associated with the foot and ankle. Any advice given, whether medical or legal, is an opinion. For legal counsel or podiatric care, one should see their local podiatrist or attorney. More information can be found at my website www.michiganfootdoctor.com