An Achilles tendon rupture is an injury that impacts the lower portion of your leg. It occurs most commonly in people who play recreational sports. The Achilles tendon itself is a strong fibrous cord that connects the heel bone to the muscles in the back of your calf. By overstretching your Achilles tendon, you can rupture or tear it. The rupture can be a partial or complete rupture. If you have experienced an Achilles tendon rupture, you may feel a snap or a pop along with an immediate sharp pain located in the back of your ankle and lower leg that makes it impossible for you to walk right. The best treatment option for this condition is often surgery.
Symptoms of Achilles Tendon Rupture
Some of the symptoms of an Achilles tendon rupture include pain and severe swelling located near your heel. You also might not have an ability to bend your foot downward or push off of your injured leg when you walk. When the injury occurs, often people experience a popping or a snapping sound. In the case of a partial rupture, you may still be able to move your foot and you may experience less swelling and pain than with a complete rupture. If you do feel a pop or snap in your heel, you need to see a doctor immediately.
Causes of an Achilles Tendon Rupture
Your Achilles tendon is responsible for helping you to point your foot downward, push off your foo
t when you are walking, and rise up on your toes. Every time you move your foot, you must rely on your Achilles tendon. In most situations, the rupture of the Achilles tendon occurs on the spot of the tendon that receives the least amount of blood flow. This will weaken that particular section of the tendon, which also degenerates with age. Ruptures are caused by a sudden increase in the stress on your Achilles tendon. Some examples include falling from a height, increased participation in recreational sports, and stepping into a hole.
Several factors put you at an increased risk for Achilles tendon rupture. First, Achilles tendon ruptures are most common among adults between the ages of 30 and 40. It is also up to five times more likely to occur in men than in women. Obesity can increase the amount of stress that is placed on your Achilles tendon. Sports are a common factor involved in many Achilles tendon ruptures, including hockey, softball, tennis, soccer, running, and basketball.
Treatment of Achilles Tendon Rupture
The most common treatment in the case of a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon is surgery. The procedure typically involves making an incision in the back portion of your lower leg and stitching the tendon that has been torn together. The repair may be reinforced with other tendons depending on the condition of the torn tissue. After the surgery you will be spending between six to eight weeks with your leg in a cast, walking boot, brace, or splint.
A second treatment is a nonsurgical treatment that includes wearing a walking boot or a cast which will allow the ends of your torn tendon to reattach themselves on their own. The method has the ability to be 
effective, as it avoids risks like infection that are associated with surgery. Yet the likelihood of having a re-rupture of the tendon is higher with an approach that is nonsurgical, and additionally recovery can take longer. If a re-rupture does occur, the surgical repair may be more challenging.
Whether surgery is chosen or not, you will still need to go through a rehabilitation program that involves therapy exercises in order to strengthen your leg muscles and your Achilles tendon. The majority of people will return to their former activities in about a four to six month period.
Prevention of Achilles Tendon Injury
There are ways to help prevent an Achilles tendon injury from occurring. First, it is important to stretch your calf muscles and Achilles tendon prior to physical activities. You should also avoid activities that will put a lot of stress on your Achilles tendons, such as jumping and hill-running. If you notice pain during the exercise, you should rest. If a particular activity or exercise causes you a good amount of pain, you should try another activity. You should alternate high-impact sports, like running, with walking, swimming, or biking. Maintaining a healthy weight is also very important. You should also wear athletic shoes that fit well and have sufficient cushioning, especially in the heel area.
CHONDROMALACIA PATELLA
Chondromalacia patella is a condition in which overuse, injury, or other factors have caused damage to the cartilage under you kneecap. While sometimes treatments such as rest and ice may help, physical therapy and surgery may be necessary to ease the pain.
Symptoms of chondromalacia patella include a dull and achy pain that is located in the front portion of your knee, an increase in pain when you walk up or down stairs, pain in your knees when you squat or kneel, knee pain when you sit for an extended period of time, a grating or a grinding sensation when you extend your knee, and stiffness in your knee. If the pain doesn't improve after treating it with rest and cold packs, you should see your doctor.
Causes of Chondromalacia Patella
Sometimes the causes of chondromalacia patella are due to muscle weakness, overuse, or injury to the knee. In some instances, an unusual alignment of the kneecap is responsible. With older adults, the pain may be related to knee joint arthritis which impacts the ability of the cartilage to absorb shock. Flat feet or weak hip muscles or weak thighs can also contribute to pain. Worn out or ill fitting shoes can also contribute to pain.
Runners and others who participate in exercise that involves their lower legs may have an increased risk of developing this pain. Women are also more likely to be affected. Other risk factors include having weak hip muscles, particularly the hip abductors, trauma to the kneecap, malalignment of the lower extremity, and wearing shoes that are worn out or do not fit properly.
Treatment of Chrondromalacia Patella
Often the treatment fo
r this condition will include resting your knee as much as possible and avoiding activities that will increase the pain, such as stair climbing. Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory pain relievers may also assist with the symptoms. Your doctor may additionally recommend that you participate in specific exercises or physical therapy in order to strengthen those muscles that are needed to support your knees and control your limb alignment. Knee braces and arch supports may also be effective. When you do participate in exercise, those exercises should be easy on your knees, like swimming and bicycling. Your physical therapist can assist you with explaining how to tape your knee in order to help you exercise and reduce your pain. You may be capable of returning to running or other activities, but you may wish to reduce the amount of running, and you should also use ice after you run. It can take around six weeks for you to start feeling better.
In rare cases, surgery may be recommended. Arthroscopy is a procedure in which an arthroscope, which is a device with a camera lens and light will be inserted into your knee and fragments of damaged cartilage are removed. In cases that are more severe, a surgeon may find it necessary to operate on your knee in order to realign the angle of your kneecap or relieve pressure that is on the cartilage.
Prevention of Chrondormalacia Patella
There are some steps you can take to help reduce your chances of 
developing this condition. First, make sure you maintain your strength by having strong hip abductor muscles and strong quadriceps. Second, lose the extra pounds you are carrying because it will relieve stress that is on your knees. Third, always warm up before exercising. Stretching is important for your muscles. Do not try to do too much too soon. In other words, you shouldn't jump into heavy workouts too quickly. Finally, you need to wear shoes that fit well and will provide your foot with enough shock absorption.
METATARSALGIA
Metatarsalgia is a condition that includes inflammation and pain located in the ball of your foot. If you are physically active and your feet are constantly impacted by jumping and running, you may experience this condition. You can also develop it by wearing shoes that do not fit well. While it is usually not serious, the condition can keep you away from physical activities for a while.
Symptoms of Metatarsalgia
There are a number of symptoms of this condition. First, you are likely to feel pain in the ball of your foot in the part of the sole that is just behind your toes. You are also likely to feel an aching or burning pain that is sharp. You may feel pain around your toes. The pain may feel worse when you stand up, walk, or run; however, this pain may improve when you rest. There may be a sharp shooting pain in your toes, or there may be numbness or tingling. When you are walking barefoot, the pain generally increases, and when you are walking with shoes on, you may feel like there is a pebble in your shoe. Generally the pain will worsen when you try to flex your feet. Sometimes the pain will come on quickly, but it is more likely that the pain will develop over time. If the pain lasts for more than a few days, you should talk to your doctor.
Each foot has five metatarsal bones that run from the arch to the toe joints. The first of these bones is shorter and thicker than the other four. When you walk, jump or run by pushing off, your body weight goes to your toes and metatarsals. It is the first and second
metatarsal bones that take the majority of this impact. There are often several factors that lead to metatarsalgia. One of the factors is intense training or physical activity. Runners are often at risk for this condition because the front of their foot absorbs a lot of force when they are running. Anyone who participates in a high-impact sport is at risk, and especially so if your shoes are worn out or ill-fitting. Having a high arch can also put extra pressure on the metatarsals. If you have a second toe that is longer than your big toe, more weight than normal will be placed on your second metatarsal head. Third, if you suffer from hammertoe, the metatarsal heads are depressed. Fourth, a bunion, which is a painful and swollen lump at the base of your big toe can weaken your big toe, which puts more stress on the ball of your foot. After surgery to remove a bunion, metatarsalgia can occur if you do not get enough rest. Extra pounds also leads to more pressure on your metatarsals. If you wear shoes that do not fit well, you are likely to contribute to metatarsal problems. Stress fractures of small breaks in the toe bones can be painful and change the way that weight is placed on your foot.
Risk factors for developing metatarsalgia include participating in high-impact sports, wearing shoes that do not fit well or wearing high heels, being overweight, and having other preexisting foot problems.
Treatment of Metatarsalgia
Typically conservative measures can relieve the pain you feel from metatarsalgia. First, rest is important. It will protect your foot from more injury. Exercises should consist of low-impact activities, such as cycling or swimming. Second, you should use ice on the affected area. This should occur for about 20 minutes at a time on several occasion in a day. Over the counter pain relievers can help to relieve and reduce pain and inflammation. Wearing proper shoes and shock-absorbing insoles may help prevent further injury. Using metatarsal pads can be placed in your shoes to deflect stress from the painful area. Arch supports can help minimize the stress on the metatarsal bones and improve the function of the feet.
Prevention of Metatarsalgia
Preventing the condition of metatarsalgia does not mean that you have to avoid physical activities; instead, you should just follow a few simple preventative measures, such as choosing the right shoes, wearing cushioned insoles or arch supports, and keeping to a healthy weight.
TENDINITIS
Tendinitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, which is a thick fibrous cord that attaches a muscle to a bone. The condition causes pain and tenderness outside of a joint. This can occur in any tendons of the body, but most frequently occurs in the elbows, shoulders, heels, and wrists. Some names for different forms of tendinitis include golfer's elbow, tennis elbow, swimmer's shoulder, pitcher's shoulder, and jumper's knee. Severe tendinitis that leads to the rupture of a tendon may need surgical repair, but in most cases it can be treated successfully with medications and rest.
The signs and symptoms of tendinitis occur where a tendon attaches to a bone. This can include pain that is described as a dull ache, mild swelling, and tenderness. If the symptoms interfere with your daily life, you should see your doctor.
Causes of Tendinitis
Tendinitis is not usually caused by one sudden injury; instead, it more often will stem from the repetition of a movement over and over. Repetitive motions may aggravate tendons that are needed to perform tasks repeatedly.
There are several risk factors, including age, occupations, and being involved in sports. For example, as we age, we are at greater risk of developing tendinitis. Occupations that involve awkward positions, repetitive motions, frequent overhead reaching, forceful exertion, and vibration put you at an increased risk. Sports with repeated motions, such as basketball, baseball, golf, bowling, running, tennis, and swimming also put you at increased risk of developing tendinitis.
The goal of the treatment of tendinitis is to relieve the pain and inflammation associated with the condition. Home treatment of ice, rest, and over the counter pain medications may be all that is necessary. In some cases, therapy may be helpful in which specific exercises are 
designed to help you strengthen the muscle and tendon unit that has been affected. Surgery may be necessary only in severe cases in which repair is necessary.
Home remedies include protection, ice, rest, elevation, and compression. Protection is important so that the healing process can continue without interruption. Elastic wraps, splints, slings, canes, and crutches may be necessary in order to encourage healing. Ice is important in order to decrease the swelling, pain, and muscle spasms that may be attributed to the condition. Rest is helpful so that the tissues can heal. Swimming and water exercise are probably acceptable activities. Compression of the area will keep the swelling down until it stops. Elevation of the affected area will keep the swelling down too.
Prevention of tendinitis involves several factors. First, you should not put excessive stress on your tendons, or you will risk developing tendinitis. Secondly, try to mix up your exercises so that you are not putting stress on the same tendons every day. Third, you should always stretch before exercising. Finally, strengthening your muscles will decrease your risk of developing tendinitis.
