Achilles Tendon Rupture (Tear)
What is an Achilles tendon rupture?
It is a tear of the tendon through which the calf muscles join together and attach to the heel bone.
Symptoms of an Achilles rupture
The rupture usually happens while pushing off with the ankle during a sporting activity such as football or basketball. At the moment of rupture, the patient feels a snap and a sudden force. It often feels as if a player behind them has kicked them in the ankle, or as if they have been struck on the back of the ankle.
The Achilles tendon can normally be felt by pressing on the back of the ankle, but after a rupture a gap forms where the tendon should be.
What you should know
- It is often assumed that a person with a ruptured Achilles tendon cannot push the foot forward, but this is not true. The movement can still be performed, with reduced strength, using the intact toe tendons.
- Some physicians frequently use corticosteroid (cortisone) injections for Achilles tendinitis. Because this greatly increases the risk of tendon rupture, it should not be tried unless absolutely necessary.
- If an Achilles tendon rupture is to be treated surgically, the pull of the muscles draws the torn ends further apart with each passing day. This makes the surgical technique more difficult.
- An MRI is not required to diagnose an Achilles tendon rupture; being able to feel the gap where the tendon has torn is sufficient.
Treatment
If the Achilles tendon rupture is incomplete, or if there is no significant separation between the torn ends of the tendon, it can be treated with special boots. However, as in most ruptures, the ends are usually separated, and the tendon is repaired surgically using special suture techniques.
