Pop Goes the Tendon

Lateral view of the human ankle, including the talus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Achilles tendon is a tough fibrous cord which attaches the calf muscles of the lower leg to the heel bone. When overstretched, the tendon can become inflamed and sore. This is called Achilles tendonitis. In many instances home treatment is successful when done under a doctor’s supervision. If further damage occurs to the tendon, small tears may begin. These tears are also called ruptures, and may be partial or complete. A rupture results in sharp pain and the inability to walk normally. Sometimes there is an audible “pop” when the tendon first ruptures. Other symptoms include:

• Pain and swelling in the heel area, and pain may be severe.
• Unable to bend foot downward.
• Inability to raise up on toes.
• Popping noise when injury first occurs.

Rupture of the tendon usually occurs near the point where the tendon attaches to the heel bone. Ruptures are most frequently caused by increase in physical activity, traumatic injury like falling high up or stepping into a hole.

Men between the ages of 30 and 40 present the greatest risk for Achilles tendon rupture. Also, the likelihood is increased if you participate in recreational sports that involve running, jumping and quick starts and stops. There are also certain types of medicines that can increase the risk of tendon rupture.

Because an Achilles tendon rupture affects your ability to walk, you should seek immediate treatment. Dr. Blaakman has certain tests he can perform to determine if it is your Achilles tendon and the degree of rupture. He may order additional tests like an MRI so he can view the extent of the damage. This is a painless test that creates a computerized image of the tissues in your body.

Both non-surgical and surgical treatment methods are common. Younger more active people may choose surgical repair to try to get back to their routine quicker, while older individuals may choose non-surgical methods.  Non-surgical methods may work equally well, but probably take a bit longer to heal and run a greater risk of the injury recurring. You would be required to wear a boot or cast for a period of time while the tendon mended itself.

Surgical correction is done through an incision, whereby the tendon is sewn back together. As with any surgery, infection is a possible risk. Regardless of the treatment method, a rehabilitative time of 4-6 months is necessary during which time you will undergo muscle strengthening exercises and physical therapy.

Exercises that strengthen the calf muscles can help prevent a rupture. Also alternating activities to avoid overuse is important as well as gradual increase of duration and intensity of exercise. If you have tendonitis or an Achilles rupture, contact Dr. Blaakman at (877) 941-3338. Don’t wait for things to get worse. A little help from Dr. Blaakman and you’ll be right back up and running in no time.

References:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/achilles-tendon-rupture/DS00160/DSECTION=prevention

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Chronic Ankle Instability - The Reason You Keep Twisting Your Ankle

Image via WikipediaHave you ever sprained or twisted your ankle?  If you have you know how much it hurts.  I don’t know any adult who has never sprained their ankle.  But why after the first ankle sprain does it get easier and easier to sprain your ankles? 

The answer could very well be Chronic Ankle Instability.  Chronic Ankle Instability is a condition that plagues many athletes who have sprained their ankles in the past, or a couple of times.  The problem occurs when the ankle doesn’t heal completely after a sprain.  The muscles and ligaments are weakened or even torn so that your foot can not even keep you balanced while you’re standing.  If your foot constantly slips out from under you, making your foot roll onto it’s side, you probably have this ankle problem. 

There are ways to build up the muscle and ligaments again in your ankle.  If you can build them up, you won’t have to have surgery performed on your ankle to tighten the ligament.  If your ligament is torn, chances are you will need to have surgery to fix or replace the torn ligament.  To correct the problem without surgery, you’ll need to go through physical therapy, wear an ankle brace at least during times when you are active, and maybe have to take anti-inflammatory medicine to keep the swelling down, allowing your body’s healing processes to get into the injury and work at fixing it.  Also, the more rest you give the ankle the better.  By being active all the time, you run the risk of injuring the ankle again and again.  If you’ve had Chronic Ankle Instability for a while, you know that it doesn’t take much at all to sprain your ankle again.

If you have sprained your ankle, you need to have it looked at by a doctor.  If you need a podiatrist, contact Upstate Footcare to schedule an appointment with Dr. Hans Blaakman.  He’ll help you to enjoy all you love to do again!

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Surgery - When is the Best Time to Have it Done?

Image by Army Medicine via FlickrImage by heymrlady via FlickrAs the year comes to a close, one thing you might be thinking about is surgery.  Actually the end of the year can be the absolute best time of the year to get surgery.  Why you might ask?  Well there are a couple of reasons.

First of all, the end of the year brings the holiday season.  Unless you are in retail, this means that you will probably have some extended time off from work, without having to take time off from your vacation or personal time.  It does mean that it could put a damper on your holiday plans, though.  You might not be able to travel, or you might miss time with your family and friends because you are in the hospital or resting up home.  So you need to take that all into account as you decide if this is a good time or not to get that surgery you’ve been needing. 

Another reason is that the end of the year usually means the end of your insurance deductibles are coming due.  This means that you might have already met your deductibles for the year and before they reset so that you’ll have to pay those pesky deductibles all over again.  Now if you haven’t paid on your deductibles early in the year, it doesn’t really matter and you might want to save the surgery for the first of the year so that you pay them early next year, rather then pay them and have them reset in a month.

These two factors are good reasons why it would be good to get that surgery done that you’ve been putting off for some time.  If you are in need of foot or ankle surgery, you should contact Upstate Footcare and talk to Dr. Hans Blaakman.  Dr. Blaakman is an excellent foot and ankle surgeon and would love to help you get back on your feet, pain free!