The Achilles tendon is the arrangement of tissues on the back of the leg. This tendon connects the bone of the heel to the calf muscles. Another name for this tendon is the calcaneal tendon. There are two Achilles tendons, one in each leg. These are the biggest and strongest tendons in the body. The average length of the Achilles is about 15 cm or 6 inches in length but it can be as long as 26 cm or 10 inches in some people. Calcaneal tendons can withstand about four times a person’s body weight. Injuries to the Achilles tendon are mainly caused by the stress put on the tendon. One in four athletes has suffered from Achilles Tendon in their careers. If you have inflamed heels, then you may want to get an Achilles Tendinitis Test done without delay.
What Is The Function Of The Achilles?
The Achilles tendon begins from the middle of the calf and goes down to the heel. The muscles in the calf are known as gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. These muscles connect the muscles in the calves in the back of the lower leg to the heel bone that is in the foot. The gastrocnemius muscle starts on the posterior aspect of the femur with the lateral and medial condyles. This forms the medial and lateral heads. The soleus muscles begin on the posterior surface of the fibula and the border in the medium of the tibia. These muscles work together to form the posterior compartment of the leg.
The Achilles tendons boast of elasticity and help in the locomotion of the lower limbs. The tendons withstand the most weight during motions such as walking, running, and jumping. It has to put up with ten times the body’s weight.
Parts Of The Achilles Tendon
The Achilles tendon is made up of strong collagen fibres. For other tendons, there is a layer of paratenon cells that surround each layer of the Achilles. This layer of paratenon cells allows for blood flow to the tendon and also helps in the lubrication of movement. Health experts refer to the other parts of the tendon as:
- Noninsertional Achilles Tendon: The parts of the Achilles that are situated higher up in the calf along with the mid-tendon and pre-insertional tendon.
- Mid-Tendon: The mid-tendon is the narrowest part of the ankle. This can be seen in the form of a cordlike structure at the upper uncle or the back of the lower calf.
- Preinsertional Achilles Tendon: This part of the tendon is just above the heel.
- Insertional Achilles Tendon: This is the point where the Achilles tendon gets attached to the bone in the heel.
Small sacs containing fluid, also called Bursae, act as a cushion to the Achilles tendon at its point of insertion into the heel. These sacs are not part of the Achilles but in case of injuries to the tendon, the bursae get affected.
Foot Ulcers Caused By Diabetes:
Foot ulcers are one of the most common causes of concern for people who are suffering from diabetes mellitus. Poor glycemic control and poor foot care are some of the complications that give rise to foot ulcers. Osteomyelitis is also very common because of these ulcers and often leads to the lower extremities getting amputated. The ulcers affect those areas of the foot the most that put up with pressure and also trauma. The organism that causes the most infection is Staphylococcus which causes a chronic disease usually. Foot ulcer treatments in Canada can be found easily by just entering the phrase on Google.
Evaluation Of Foot Ulcers
During the evaluation of foot ulcers, the most commonly carried out investigation is fasting blood sugar, glycated levels of haemoglobin, a complete metabolic panel and blood count, ESR or erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Recent guidelines have implied that for patients who have diabetic foot ulcers, superficial swab specimens may not be as reliable to guide antimicrobial therapy as deep tissue specimens.
Treatment Of Foot Ulcers
The treatment of foot ulcers has to be methodical to come to a favourable outcome. What is most important is to find out if there is an infection going on by acquiring a history of chills and fever, and looking for inflammation that includes causes pain, warmth, or hardening of the ulcer. It has to be kept in mind that even in case of severe infection caused by diabetes, there can be minimal signs of infection. They are very common unfortunately and foot ulcer treatments in Canada results can be found on the internet with ease.
Conclusion
The health of the Achilles tendon can be checked by asking if the patient is suffering from pain when the tendon is moved or pressed. Achilles tendinitis test can be carried out with a boot or leg cast that can treat moderate to acute Achilles tendon issues. This also includes partial rupture of the tendon.
