Kobe Bryant Tears Achilles Tendon
Could This be the End of His Career?
During the fourth quarter of yesterday’s Los
Angeles Lakers game, Kobe Bryant suffered a probable Achilles tendon tear in
his left leg. Probable, because he will
undergo an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
However, a complete tear is easily diagnosed by
clinical examination. A doctor will perform what is called the Thompson’s test,
whereby the patient is lying on his stomach and the doctor will squeeze the
calf muscle. The foot should move up and
down if the Achilles is not ruptured. If
it is, the foot will not move.
The Achilles tendon attaches the calf muscle to
the back of the heel bone. It is a very
thick and strong tendon and not easy to tear, but it is still a common injury.
Causes of Achilles tendon tears can be caused by overuse, such as in sports,
when one does too much, too fast, and too soon.
Combine that with lack of stretching, then you have a great recipe that
can lead to this type of injury.
In addition, the injury is common in
professional athletes because of the tremendous force that is applied to this
tendon while playing their sport. It
usually occurs as the foot is planted on the ground and then there is a quick
rotation of the leg and ankle. So, in
Kobe Bryant’s case, as he planted his left foot, he quickly turned his body,
causing the tendon to snap.
Bryant is 34 years old and has played more
minutes per game during the month of April then in any other time during his
prodigious NBA career. This has
definitely caused a lot of wear and tear on his body.
Other causes for this type of injury is wearing
high heels, which causes a lot of stress on the tendon, as well as trauma to the
tendon, such as a blow to the area.
Bryant will need surgery to repair this tendon,
and recovery will be anywhere from 6 months to a year. This type of injury ended careers of Dan
Marino and Charles Barkley. Hopefully,
this is not the end for Kobe.
If you are having pain at the back of your
heel, you should see your podiatrist. AtFamily Foot & Ankle Specialists in Piscataway and Hillsborough, NJ,
we see and treat a lot of athletes with this sort of injury.
we see and treat a lot of athletes with this sort of injury.
To get more information on foot and ankle injuries, get our free book, "Stop Foot Pain Fast: A User's Guide to Foot and Ankle Health.
If you are experiencing foot or ankle pain, call to get a FREE appointment at our Piscataway podiatrist office.
20 comments:
I am highly suspect of the reports we are getting about Kobe supposedly being ahead of schedule on his recovery.
Richard
Ingrown Toenail Information
I have always hated the idea of having constant foot and ankle pain near crystal lake cause I have always hated pain.
Does a podiatrist usually work with feet? Are there doctors just for foot and ankle problems? I am not sure about all of the different doctors. http://www.docdoerr.com
I am wheelchair bound. My feet and ankles are turning outward more than normal. My daily routine hasn't changed any. What could be causing this foot and ankle change?
bryanflake1984| http://thefootandanklecarecenter.com/
I didn't know that you could test for the rupture of an Achilles heal, by seeing if their foot moves when your squeeze their calf. That must be a useful indication for medics on the sidelines of games! Did Kobe's injury end up being his Achilles tendon? I don't keep track of sports very well, so I don't know what happened!
Claudia Rosenburg | http://gregpoundfootanklelegspecialist.com
I can remember watching the game that ended Dan Marino's career. It was a sad day for football. My son plays in a pee-wee league, and I am always worried that something similar might happen to him. I would be heartbroken if he snapped his Achilles tendon.
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I seems that foot surgeons are getting so advanced now a days, I thought they could fix just about anything. I guess that's not the case though. I wish him the best!
Jim Tracy | http://durangopodiatrist.com/
Is there some tendon damage that you can't recover from? I've heard about a lot of professional athletes that have permanent scar tissue and things that limit range of motion and cause chronic pain. It's healthy to play sports, but when is it too much for your ankles? http://www.footanklesurgerynyc.com/ankle-procedures/ankle-arthroscopy/
Lately I've been noticing that I've been having some really bad foot pain when I got running. I don't want to go to the doctors yet, so I thought I would try and figure out what's wrong before I got to the doctors. This helped a ton, and I hope I can start finding some treatments for it.
http://familyfootanklephysicians.com/foot-care/
I never realized how much stress could be put on your foot and ankle depending on your weight. I always just thought that your feet could handle anything. After experiencing some pain in my feet recently I have wanted to visit a foot and ankle surgeon to see what my options are for getting rid of this pain. http://www.docdoerr.com
I danced competitively for years. I'm constantly on my feet. Not only was I on my feet, but I was dancing, all day long. My feet would ache, but I got used to it. I was going some partner work, and he accidentally dropped me. I landed funny on my foot, and it hurt! I tried just walking it off, but I soon figured out that I wasn't going to be able to.
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My brother is a truck driver, and a few months ago I went on a drive with him. We drove for days, and it was so much more fun than I was expecting. We saw some beautiful sights, and met some awesome people. I would love to go again, and see some new things.
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I agree that if you do not stretch right and do too much too fast then your risk of tearing your Achilles tendon is higher. Thanks for the tips. I love to play sports. I do not want to get injured and not be able to play because of the injury. I will have to get a check up with my foot doctor and ask his advice.
http://www.betterfootcareohio.com/services
It would be sad if he was out of the game! Ankles are so important for sports, though. Even if it's something that can be repaired, he might not be able to rejoin the sport. It's a good idea to see a podiatrist when you experience any ankle pain. That's not an injury you want to get worse. | http://www.yourfootdocs.com
I have danced since I was a little girl. This means I have had countless injuries, including back, hip, and foot injuries. A couple years ago, I was working on a dance, and my partner dropped me. I fell right on my foot. It really hurt, but I was hoping I would be able to walk it off. Well, I was very wrong. I need to find something to do to help with this pain.
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I seriously don't know how women are able to stay on heels for so long. Like you said, it causes trauma on the tendons of the foot. This is probably why women tend to take them off so much if they are in them all day. http://www.familyfootcenter.net
Very informative blog dear, If you experience pain in your heel or bottom of your foot with walking, prolonged standing, or when first getting out of bed in the morning, you may be suffering from a foot condition that is commonly diagnosed as Plantar Fasciitis, you need to treat that pain with pain management in NYC .
Your blog is really nice & informative... Thanks for sharing with us...
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