Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

What is the Achilles tendon?    It’s the largest strongest tendon in the human body.   A fibrous cord that attaches the calve muscle of the lower leg to the heel.   You can feel it at the back of your ankle.   It’s critical to walking, running, and jumping.       How do we injure it?   The most common situation is during an active sport – rugby, soccer, basketball, etc.   Happens with forceful movement sprinting, jumping.  Quick stops or change in direction, direct trauma to the tendon.  For older people, the tendon can weaken and rupture.      What are the symptoms?   A sudden sharp pain back of lower leg or heel.   There’s often a popping or snapping sound.   People are unable to walk or stand on tiptoes, and there’s swelling or bruising lower back of leg.   You can sometimes see or feel a gap or indent in tendon.       What do you do about it?   You need diagnosis: a doctor will examine