By now, you've probably heard that David Beckham ruptured his Achilles tendon on March 14. So what does this mean for Mr. Beckham?
The Achilles tendon (or calcaneal tendon) is probably the most famous tendon in the body. It was named after the invincible Greek warrior from mythology whose only weak point was his heel. You will feel it behind your ankle. It's the thick, rope-like thing, and it is vital for pushing your foot down. A rupture in this tendon is the most severe traumatic muscular injury of the foot.
Without his Achilles, Mr. Beckham will be unable to walk on that leg without a boot. Furthermore, he received surgery to stitch together the two ends of his tendon. Fortunately for him, this injury is not career ending, but he will not be playing in the World Cup. He will also need to be careful, as one ruptured Achilles will make a repeat injury likely in his future.
If you think you've ruptured your Achilles tendon, you would have heard a loud "pop." A quick test for a ruptured Achilles is the Thompson test. If you squeeze the calf muscle of an uninjured leg, you should see your foot point downwards. However, if the Achilles is ruptured, it will continue pointing forward, and probably a little upwards. While your first course of action will be to seek emergency medical treatment, you should consult a podiatrist for surgery and/or follow up care.
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