Achilles Tendon Rupture

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is it? The Achilles (uh-kill-ees) tendon is behind the ankle. It connects the heel of the foot to the calf muscles. Tendons are tissues that connect muscle to bone. A rupture (rup-sher) is a tear or break. An Achilles tendon rupture is a torn or ripped tendon. It may be torn all the way or just a little. A small tear may take 8 to 12 weeks to heal.

Causes: You may have torn your Achilles tendon from an injury, accident, or by tripping. Jumping or running may also cause this problem.

Signs and Symptoms: You may have pain, tenderness, swelling, or bruising behind the ankle. Or you may have pain with walking or not be able to move your foot well.

Care:

• You may need an x-ray. Putting ice on the injury may lessen the swelling and pain for the first day or two. You may also want to raise the foot above heart level to help your pain and swelling. If you tore skin with the injury, you may need to take antibiotic (an-ti-bi-ah-tik) medicine. You may also need to have a tetanus (lockjaw) shot.
  
  
• You may take acetaminophen (uh-c-tuh-min-o-fin) or ibuprofen (i-bew-pro-fin) for pain. But do not take ibuprofen if you are allergic to aspirin. Crutches may be needed to help you walk. If you have a small tear, you may only need to have a cast. The cast will keep your ankle from moving. But you may need surgery to fix a large tear. After surgery, you may need to have exercise therapy to make your tendon stronger.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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