2. Symptoms of Achilles Tear
An Achilles tendon can partially tear or completely rupture.
A partial tear may cause mild or no symptoms.
A complete rupture causes pain and sudden loss of strength
and movement.
A popping or snapping sound when the injury occurs
Pain, possibly severe, and swelling near your heel
An inability to bend your foot downward or "push off" the
injured leg when you walk
An inability to stand up on your toes on the injured leg
3. Causes for Achilles Rupture
Ruptures often are caused by a sudden increase in the amount of
stress on your Achilles tendon.
Increasing the intensity of sports participation
Falling from a height
Stepping into a hole
Risk Factors
Age. The peak age for Achilles tendon rupture is 30 to 40.
Your sex. Achilles tendon rupture is up to five times more likely to occur in
men than in women.
Sports. Achilles tendon injuries occur more often in sports that involve
running, jumping and sudden starts and stops — such as soccer,
basketball and tennis.
Steroid injections. Doctors sometimes inject steroids into an ankle joint to
reduce pain and inflammation. However, this medication can weaken
nearby tendons and has been associated with Achilles tendon ruptures.
5. Achilles Tear
The Achilles tendon is a strong fibrous cord that
connects the muscles in the back of your calf to your
heel bone.
If you overstretch your Achilles tendon, it can tear or
completely rupture.
6. Treatment for Achilles Rupture
Nonsurgical
This approach typically involves wearing a cast or walking boot
with wedges to elevate your heel; this allows the ends of your torn
tendon to heal.
The likelihood of re-rupture may be higher with a nonsurgical
approach, and recovery can take longer.
Surgery
Making an incision in the back of your lower leg and stitching the
torn tendon together.
Rehab
Physical therapy exercises to strengthen your leg muscles and
Achilles tendon.
Most people return to their former level of activity within six to nine
months.
7. Prevention of Achilles Tear
Stretch and strengthen calf muscles. Calf-strengthening
exercises can also help the muscle and tendon absorb more
force and prevent injury.
Vary your exercises. Alternate high-impact sports, such as
running, with low-impact sports, such as walking, biking or
swimming. Avoid activities that place excessive stress on
your Achilles tendons, such as hill-running and jumping
activities.
Choose running surfaces carefully. Avoid or limit running
on hard or slippery surfaces.
Increase training intensity slowly. Achilles tendon injuries
commonly occur after a person abruptly increases his or her
training intensity.
8. Ankle Sprain
A sprained ankle occurs when you roll, twist or turn
your ankle in an awkward way, and the ligaments are
forced beyond their normal range of motion.
This can stretch or tear the ligaments that help stabilize
joints, preventing excessive movement.
10. Grades of Ankle Sprain
Grade 1 sprain: Slight stretching and some damage to
the fibers of the ligament.
Grade 2 sprain: Partial tearing of the ligament. If the
ankle joint is examined and moved in certain ways,
abnormal looseness (laxity) of the ankle joint occurs.
Grade 3 sprain: Complete tear of the ligament. If the
examiner pulls or pushes on the ankle joint in certain
movements, gross instability occurs.
16. Symptoms of Ankle Sprain
Pain, especially when you bear weight on the affected
foot
Swelling and, sometimes, bruising
Restricted range of motion
Some people hear or feel a "pop" at the time of injury.
If your signs and symptoms are severe, it's possible
you may have broken a bone in your ankle or lower leg.
17. Risk Factors for Ankle Sprain
Sports participation. Ankle sprains are a common
sports injury. Sports that require rolling or twisting your
foot, such as basketball, tennis, football, soccer and
trail running. Playing sports on an uneven surface also
can increase your risk.
Prior ankle injury. Once you've sprained your ankle, or
had another type of ankle injury, you're more likely to
sprain it again.
18. Treatment of Ankle Sprain
R.I.C.E (Rest-Ice-Compress-Elevate)
Medication
In most cases, over-the-counter pain relievers — such as
ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Aleve, others) or
acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) — are enough to handle
the pain caused by a sprained ankle.
Therapy A few days after your injury, after the swelling
has gone down, you may want to see a physical therapist
and start performing exercises to restore your ankle's range
of motion, strength, flexibility and balance.
19. Prevention
Warm up before you exercise or play sports.
Be careful when walking, running or working on an uneven surface.
Wear shoes that fit well and are made for your activity.
Don't wear high-heeled shoes.
Don't play sports or participate in activities for which you are not
conditioned.
Maintain good muscle strength and flexibility.
Practice stability training, including balance exercises.
