What's Up Doc (Dallas Rocket)?

So, Dallas Rocket, how many cereal box tops did you have to mail off to get that medical degree

I'll have to go with Dallas Rocket on this one. Tendonitis is "inflammation of the tendon", and I'm assuming that something that is inflamed would be structurally weaker and therefore easier to tear. I don't think you have to go to Med School to figure that out.

Quick trivia question: Where did the term "achilles tendon" come from?

 

Greek Mythology.

The story behind it was that as a baby Achilles was 'dipped' into a river that would make him unbeatable, however he was held by his "tendon" and because of that it was his one weakness. Later in his life, he was in battle and was struck there and was defeated and hense the name achilles tendon.

 

Achilles, the Heel


The myth about the Achilles’ heel was not always presented as the main weakness in his life.



Achilles was the son of Thetis and Peleus, the bravest hero in the Trojan war, according to Greek mythology.


When Achilles was born, his mother, Thetis, tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. As she immersed him, she held him by one heel and forgot to dip him a second time so the heel she held could get wet too. Therefore, the place where she held him remained untouched by the magic water of the Styx and that part stayed mortal or vulnerable.


To this day, any weak point is called an “Achilles’ heel”. We also refer to the strong tendon that connects the muscles of the calf of the leg with the heel bone as the “Achilles’ tendon”.


The term “Achilles’ heel” was first used by a Dutch anatomist, Verheyden, in 1693 when he dissected his own amputated leg.


Although the above rendition of the Achilles’ story is in current vogue, Michael Macrone, in his It’s Greek to Me, tells us that Achilles didn’t always have a vulnerable heel. Oh yes, he had a weak spot, but according to the original story about Achilles, Homer, in the Iliad, said it was his pride. Later versions indicate his weakness was his love for the Trojan princess Polyxena. In his Metamorphoses, Ovid suggested that Achilles had a vulnerable spot on his body; but the Roman poet, Statius (c. A.D. 45-96), was the first to imply in a poem that it was his heel.

 

Crispee and others,

Don't know that there is any real controversy here. It is pretty well accepted that recurrent or chronic Achilles tendonitis can weaken the Achilles tendon over time, can result in scar tissue buildup (which is less elastic), and ultimately make the tendon more susceptible to tears or complete rupture.

The important thing is how the tendonitis has been managed. My view "from a distance" is that the Rockets and the medical team were very aggressive in treating the problem last year. As a fan, what I saw is that he was held out of a number of games; they were also very likely treating the problem with physiotherapy, stretching, whirlpool, anti-inflammatories etc. In other words, they took all the "extra" steps necessary to get him better, and not add additional stress to an inflamed tendon. He missed a lot of key games down the stretch, but they held him out anyway!

It was also mentioned that his condition has been carefully monitored since last year, even checking the integrity of the tendons with MRI's prior to re-signing him. That vigilance and care is all you can ask for. Many high performance athletes and their medical teams deal with this problem. Despite the best of care a rare few will sometime progress to partial and complete tears. Please also understand that the Achilles tendon often ruptures when there has been absolutely no tendonitis preceding it.

In summary, my view (and that's all it is since, as a fan, I have no more inside medical information than you do) is that he got the best of treatment and preventive care, and he just had terrible luck.

 

Now there's a guy who must have been a lot of fun at parties.

 

Some posters have mentioned Jamie Feick as an Achilles injury gone wrong, did a qucik search and from what i can work out has has never torn his, and suffered several strains and lots of tendonitis in between, it would appear snapping it may be better than ongoing strains and tendonitis.

here's Feick's injury Timeline

Nets F Feick out indefinitely after surgery on left Achilles

October 10, 2000
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- New Jersey Nets forward Jamie Feick Monday underwent successful surgery on his left Achilles tendon and is out indefinitely.
The 90-minute procedure, performed by Dr. William Hamilton and Dr. Michael Kelly, involved the removal of non-healthy tissue in the tendon.
Feick, who was mentioned in trade talks during the offseason, will begin rehabilitation in six to eight weeks and the timetable for his return will be made at that point.
The 6-8 Feick averaged 5.7 points and a team-leading 9.3 rebounds in 81 games last season, his fourth in the NBA. He is in the second year of a six-year, $15 million deal.


Now he played again in February 2001

he made his comeback game on Feb 8 and lasted 7 games before missing a game against Miami on 24th of Feb with a reoccurrence of the injury.

Feb 22

Nets forward/center Jamie Feick missed the game because of a nagging left Achilles tendon injury. Feick, who played 12 minutes Wednesday against Toronto, had surgery Oct. 9

March 22nd - back on IL