What is the Achilles tendon?
• There are three main muscles in the calf.
The Achilles tendon is where those three muscles combine to attach to the heel bone.
What does the Achilles tendon do?
• It is important for walking, jumping, running, etc. It is essentially where the muscle power needed to push off comes from.
How does the Achilles rupture?
• The Achilles tendon is incredibly strong and resilient. It normally ruptures under high load.
For example, if someone is planting their foot and the heel is coming to the ground, but at the same time, they are trying to push off (jump, change directions, etc.).
• The heel is moving down towards the ground with high velocity, but the calf muscles are trying to pull it back up to come off the ground.
This push and pull on the tendon will cause immense load and can lead to partial tears or a rupture.