The Achilles Tendon

Anyone who is mildly interested in Greek mythology is familiar with the term "Achilles' heel", and how the great warrior, Achilles' only weakness was in the back of his ankle because he was killed by an arrow directly hitting that spot. Whether or not you put any stock into mythology isn't very important; what is important is recognizing how truly vital the Achilles' tendon is in the human body.

The Achilles' tendon is located in the back of the leg and connects with the underneath of the foot. It's the reason we can stand on our tip-toes and run long distances. Without the Achilles' tendon, we would not be able to perform all of the bending and twisting of the feet.

So we have these amazing tendons in our body, so what? Well just as you can overuse a muscle during exercise, you can injure your Achilles' tendon. An injury to this tendon is not only painful, but it affects all movement of the lower limbs.

An example of this is of a football quarterback who snapped his Achilles' tendon when he moved his foot backward during a game. He was pulled from the game, and asked if he needed an ambulance or ride home. He declined, but found when he got to his car that he could not even use the clutch. He could not push his foot down on it. That's how important and undervalued the Achilles' tendon is.

There are ways to treat injured tendons, but it takes time and patience while enduring pain and limited mobility. So, it is a good idea to consider taking care of your Achilles' tendon! This doesn't mean you can't enjoy running or wearing stilettos, it just means that you have to be careful with how much and how long you strain the tendon.

Check out this link for more information: http://www.pedorthic.ca/public/when_03A.html
Photo taken from: http://www.pyroenergen.com/articles/achilles-tendonitis.htm

Elections 2008!

Back again!

As we all realize, election day is about six days away, and now is an important time to be considering which candidate we will vote for. Not only is it important to understand a party's platform, but also to understand the party's decision-making principles.

As part of the nursing community, I think now is a crucial time period during which nurses can make themselves heard and improve our health care system. Just by participating, we are changing things!

So, I just implore everyone in nursing (student, practitioner, professor) to act on his or her right to vote. It's an important thing!

Pick a party that represents you, nursing issues, and issues you feel strongly toward. Think with your mind--think ahead to the future.

Judge calmly by taking in all aspects of each party to decide who you believe would act in the best interests of the country as the Prime Minister of Canada.

Blogging, here I come!

In case you were wondering...








http://www.healthsciences.uoit.ca/nursingprograms.html

My name is Emily and I am a first year Nursing student at UOIT. I’m new to blogs and the “art” of blogging, but I’m interested in learning new methods of communication, as they are vital in the developing community of nursing.

I look forward to learning new nursing skills in the coming years, and hopefully I will meet and correspond with fellow students, nurses, and professors through blogging.

I’m unsure about how big of an impact blogging will have on my nursing education and career, however, I’m curious about whether I’ll become hooked or alienated by this blogging thing. With any luck, I’ll help contribute to a growing, online nursing community!