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