You may know the Achilles tendon from the story of the greatly feared Greek warrior (...Achilles...) who was dipped in The River Styx as a baby, rendering him a force to be reckoned with!..Except where his mother had to hold him out of the water, which would become his weakest link, also known as the Achilles heel.
Or, you might be more commonly aware that the Achilles is a long, powerful tendon connecting the calf muscle to the heel. Either way you'll likely be sure that a snap, tear, rupture, or tendonitis in this area can be hugely debilitating and require a great deal of physical therapy, or even surgery.
A tear in the Achilles can feel like a shot up your calf as the connective tendon snaps and releases the tension it creates between the base of your muscle and top of your heel. As with a meniscus tear, you might be able to address this injury with a carefully thought out physical therapy plan and avoid surgery altogether. Which is, as always, where Sloane Stecker Physical Therapy comes into the picture!
Therapy to heal your ruptured tendon will vary according to the degree of your tear, whether you've had surgery, and a few other factors determined by your health professionals. As an office we focus our physical therapy plans in expert manual therapy, Orthopedic PT, and a great flow of exercises on the workout floor. We are more than well equipped to assist you in the recovery of your Achilles tendon and you can expect your recovery plan to smoothly get you back to sport (or just back to work!) in about six to nine months.
Whether you're limping to our Upper West Side PT clinic from work or strolling in from errands in Irvington, we're available seven days a week to draw up your stream lined recovery plan! Don't let your Achilles heel get the best of you, with us you'll love the journey to get back to sport (and your life!) and leave our offices feeling stronger and better than ever!