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My friend told me that when you tear your Achilles tendon, it can happen anywhere along the tendon. I always thought it happened right around the ankle level. Who's right?

If you've made a bet, I'm afraid you'll have to pay up. The Achilles tendon runs down your calf to your heel. It allows you to move your foot, mostly to point down, stand on your toes, push off when you're about to run, and so forth.

The majority of Achilles tendon ruptures, or tears, do happen around the ankle area, as that seems to be where they are must susceptible, but tears can occur anywhere along the tendon, from top to bottom.

Reference: 

Nicola Maffulli, MD, MS, PhD, FRCS(orth) and Adam Ajis, MRCSEd. Management of Chronic Ruptures of the Achilles Tendon. In The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. June 2008. Vol. 90. No. 6. Pp. 1348-1360.


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