They are high impact injuries in sports (athletics, football, basketball, tennis, etc), although they occasionally occur in non-athletes. The most common injuries are tendinosis (chronic tendinitis) and ruptures.
The tendinosis is due to a continuous overload of the tendon usually connected with the sport, often associated with increased tension in the calf, the failure to conduct proper stretching and warming exercises, inappropriate footwear, walking on hard surfaces, etc. In case of failure of the conservative treatment the patient will undergo surgery, consisting of ripping and removal of the scar tissue in the affected area, where growth factors can be added in order to facilitate the healthy tendon tissue regeneration. In selected cases it can be done by MIS technical.
The Achilles tendon rupture. The Achilles tendon is the set of the calf and soleus muscles, whose rupture is a serious injury that occurs with some frequency during sport activities, especially in patients from 35 to 50 years old who play sports sporadically (weekend athletes). This is a serious and disabling injury, hence the importance of early diagnosis. In some cases it may go unnoticed and be later diagnosed, thus leading to wrong functional performance.
The patient feels a sharp pain associated with a snap and the feeling of being beaten from behind (""sign of the stone"") and generally can not stand on tiptoe with that leg. Conservative treatment consists of immobilization in a cast or brace with the foot in equinus (toe down) for 6-8 weeks. This treatment would be indicated in older patients or patients with contraindications for surgery. The most commonly used treatment is surgery, which can be open or with percutaneous techniques or MIS, often associated with growth factors to aid the tendon regeneration.
