What is ATR?
According to the Mayo Clinic, Achilles Tendon Ruptures are severe injuries,and the major symptoms of it are; a kicked calf feeling, severe pain in the heel, an inability to bend downwards, inability to stand on toes, and a “popping” sound when the injury occurs. [2-5]
Causes of ATR
There are a lot of ways for this to happen, such as; high intensity sports (particularly jumping), falling from a height, and stepping in holes. There are ways to increase the risk of this occurring such as; being 30-40 years old, being a male (5x more likely), recreational sports, steroid injections, certain antibiotics (Cipro/Levaquin), and being obese. [3,10]
Risk Factors [9]
- People that participate in sports.
- Gender plays a huge factor in it, with males being five times more likely than females to rupture their Achilles Tendon.
- Ruptures are most common for middle aged people (30-40 years)
- Steroid Injections increase the probability due to it impacting blood flow.
- Ingesting antibiotics, most notably ciprofloxacin, or levofloxacin.
- Obesity.