Login | November 28, 2024
Achilles tendon
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: November 25, 2024
A few weeks ago many of us saw the Cleveland Brown’s Deshaun Watson incur a fairly common sports injury, an Achilles tendon rupture.
Now typically this injury happens more often in men than women, and more often with those who are over 30 years of age.
Now for me, I’ll have to admit that this is one of those injuries that makes me instinctively cringe when I think about it, let alone feel sick to my stomach when I actually see it on television. So I’ve made it a point over the years to really concentrate on Achilles tendon health.
That being said, let’s take a quickie look at this small but important component of the leg, from its anatomy to its function to its susceptibility to injury, and more importantly, to the ways in which we can keep it strong and injury free.
Now the Achilles tendon is a thick, incredibly sturdy band of connective tissue that anchors the calf muscles to the heel bone.
And what’s really important with respect to this tendon is the fact that it’s downright essential for standing, walking, running and jumping. What’s more this is the thickest tendon in the human body, which enables it to withstand incredibly large tensile forces.
Indeed, this six-inch long, several millimeters thick little band of tissue is strong enough to withstand a force of up to 1,100 pounds - which is pretty darned amazing.
Yet despite the Achilles tendon’s strength, overly excessive forces via starting, stopping, jumping and pivoting movements can cause this burly little guy to exceed its breaking point and rupture.
Direct trauma can also cause Achilles damage, say for example when one athlete steps on another athlete’s heel.
What’s more, there are other less obvious reasons why an Achilles tendon will rupture.
Injury analysis studies have revealed that a weak Achilles tendon can be more prone to rupture, and several of the elements that can contribute to Achilles tendon weaknesses include:
1. Corticosteroid injections, which can sometimes initiate degenerative processes
2. Chronic diseases such as metabolic disorders, obesity and various inflammatory maladies such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
So when the Achilles tendon does incur a rupture, just what are the ramifications?
Well, first of all understand that this tendon - like many tendons - has a poor blood supply throughout its length, which is a big factor when it comes to the healing process.
And limited blood flow results in longer healing times, this because blood is the delivery system for fluid and nutrients essential to healing.
Now add to that the fact that the Achilles tendon is a pretty big tendon - relatively speaking for tendons - so you end up with a lengthy healing period, and that’s with or without a surgical intervention.
All of this brings us to the key question: What can we do to protect ourselves from Achilles tendon ruptures? And the answers to this question are pretty uncomplicated and totally common sense.
1. First and foremost keep your Achilles strong and flexible via a regular strengthening and stretching routine. And it might come as no surprise that the number one strengthening exercise for this area is any one of the several variations of the calf raise. And the number one stretch for the Achilles is the standing calf stretch. Do them regularly and you’ll help to keep that those Achilles strong and elastic.
2. Now I’ve beaten the drum on this one ad infinitum…warm up by performing a little cardio followed by some light stretching prior to jumping into an activity. That warm up will give both the calf muscles and the Achilles tendons increased blood flow and initiate warmth.
3. Make sure you’re wearing the proper footwear for the activity that you’re performing (different sports require different shoes), and make sure that your footwear is in good condition. Your shoes must provide adequate arch support, cushion and heel support.
4. Establish a healthy weight. This goes a long way in reducing the risks of prolonged stress & strain on the Achilles.
So these are several of the easiest ways to protect yourself from Achilles tendon ruptures, and again, we’re talking here about easy and common sense rules. I’ve been abiding by them for years and…cross my fingers…I’ve made it through many years of training and competitions without Achilles issues.