TRAUMA-ACHILLES TENDON RUPTURE

SUMMARY

1. Common and can be acute or chronic. Rupture can occur with sudden balistic forces (such as during basketball).
2. US & MRI show typical changes that correspond to microscopic features of breakdown in the normal collagen orientation, vacuole formation, and microscopic tearing.

3. Conservative management for partial tears: analgesia, physiotherapy of muscles along the kinetic chain for ankle plantar-flexion.

4. Complete tears: surgical reconstruction followed by immobilization (up to 3 mths) & aggressive rehabilitation.

5. Incidence of a recurrent Achilles tendon rupture is lower after surgical reconstruction.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].