Achilles Tendinopathy

A tendon is a tough band of tissue that is attached to a muscle at one end and a bone at the other.The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles (gastrocnemius, soleus) to the heel bone (calcaneus).It is the largest tendon in the body and allows a person to walk, run, jump, stand on toes, and go up and down stairs.During running, it is subjected to increased loads of up to 12 times body weight.It is named after the Greek mythical hero Achilles, who was invulnerable everywhere except his heel and was eventually fatally wounded in the heel by an arrow.Since then, the term "Achilles' heel" has come to mean a person' s principal weakness.Achilles tendinopathy is a common overuse injury, accounting for 11% of all running injuries.The January 13, 2010, issue of JAMA includes a study reporting that injections of platelet-rich plasma were not effective for treating chronic Achilles tendinopathy.