Richard Sherman recovering from Achilles Rupture

Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks recently ruptured his Achilles tendon, resulting in season ending surgery. It may or may not come as a surprise that the Achilles tendon is the strongest and largest tendon in the body. It is made of us two muscles that work to provide a  strong propulsive force that helps you walk normally! Most of the time, when the achilles ruptures it feels like you got hit by a bat in the back of the leg, but the pain often quickly subsides. The bigger issue long term is a pronounced weakness in trying to walk hills, stairs, or just in general.

With an acute Achilles rupture your doctor must make the decision of treating your rupture conservatively or surgically, to reach the best outcome. Conservative treatment is a great option for patients who are not surgical candidates. It requires a prolonged non-weight bearing period in combination with extensive physical therapy once the achilles has healed. In surgical candidates, surgical repair of the tendon is a very effective way to expedite healing and ensure repair of the ruptured tendon. Often times patients who previously ruptured their tendon and were misdiagnosed, or went untreated, experience weakness when walking, with limited functionality. If you find yourself in this category, do not fret.  Surgically fixing the Achilles long after injury is still a viable option, albeit it may require a more extensive operation. At Healthy Feet Podiatry it is our goal to custom tailor a treatment plan to each individual patient taking into account their future plans/lifestyle etc.  If you find yourself on the treatment table like Richard Sherman, or simply think you have weakness in your achilles, Call Healthy Feet Podiatry today for your same day consultation!

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