Chapters authored
Achilles Tendon and Athletes
Achilles tendon (AT) is the strongest human tendon. AT disorders are common among athletes. AT pathologies vary from tendinopathy to frank rupture. Diagnosis is made clinically. Imaging modalities are used adjunctively. Management of AT rupture in athletes is challenging to surgeons due to worldwide growing popularity of sports and potential social and financial impact of AT injury to an athlete. Hence, new surgical techniques aim at attaining quick recovery with good outcome, finding similar results with both open and percutaneous techniques when accompanying these with functional rehabilitation protocols. Non-operative strategies include shoe wear modification, physiotherapy and extracorporeal shock wave therapy. Surgical interventions vary based on the AT pathology nature and extent. Direct repair can work for small-sized defects. V-Y gastrocnemius advancement could approximate the tendon edges for repair within 2–8 cm original gap. Gastrocnemius turndown can bridge tendon loss > 8 cm. Autogenous, allogeneous or synthetic tendon grafts were used for AT reconstruction purposes. In AT tendinopathies with no tendon tissue loss, surgical procedures revolve around induction of tissue repair through lesion incision or debridement to full detachment followed by reattachment. Extra-precautions are exercised for prevention of AT disorders especially among susceptible athletes participating in sports involving excessive AT strain.
Part of the book: Update in Management of Foot and Ankle Disorders