Where is the Achilles tendon located?
The Achilles tendon, the most powerful tendon in the human body, is located in the posterior and distal part of the leg, behind the ankle. It is the tendon of the calf and soleus muscles, and inserts into the back of the calcaneus. Its function is to propel us in walking, running and jumping.
What type of injuries can it suffer?
We can classify Achilles tendon injuries into two groups, tendon ruptures and tendinopathies.
The rupture of the Achilles tendon is usually complete and abrupt. It is an acute and very disabling injury, usually in sports.
What is Achilles tendinitis?
Currently the term Achilles tendinitis has been changed to Achilles tendinopathy, because there is not always inflammation. It is related to tendon overuse and tends to become chronic. It is usually accompanied by tendinosis, which is a degeneration of the connective tissue of the tendon.
According to their location, we can divide tendinopathies into lesions of the body of the tendon, non-insertional, and lesions of the distal portion, insertional. In the latter, Haglund’s disease and calcific enteropathy are relevant.
What symptoms are produced?
All Achilles tendon injuries are basically characterized by pain and limitation of movement during sports activities, especially running.
How can we treat the injuries?
In ruptures, surgical treatment is necessary in the vast majority of cases.
In cases of tendinopathy the initial treatment is conservative. It consists of making changes in the sport activity, to favor the strengthening, the use of physiotherapy and even the application of some type of infiltrations. When the pathology becomes chronic and does not respond to these measures, the best option is to opt for surgical treatment, with which excellent results are obtained.