David Beckham Tears Achilles Tendon

David Beckham returned to Britain on Monday after being sidelined with an injury last week in Finland. The soccer superstar suffered a total tear of the Achilles tendon during the game, and will be sidelined for several months to recover. This comes as a huge blow to Beckham, who was hoping to play in the World Cup this June. This would have been Beckham’s fourteenth consecutive appearance in the World Cup.

The injury occurred last Sunday, in an AC Milan game. Beckham has been on loan to AC Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham came to Major League Soccer’s L.A. Galaxy in 2007 when he signed a $250 million dollar deal, a record for soccer players, and throwing him into the ranks of some the biggest sports contracts ever.

Following the injury, Beckham was brought to Turku, Finland where he was operated on.

According to Dr. Sakari Orava, the surgeon who performed the procedure, Beckham will be in a cast for three to four weeks, followed by months of rehabilitation. In general, the time it takes for a complete recovery takes around six months. This is likely to be minimum amount of time it will take for David Beckham to return to playing.

The Achilles tendon is a continuation of the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles, which are collectively considered to be the muscles of the calf. The muscles combine to form the Achilles tendon, with then inserts into the calcaneus (heel bone).

With tight calf muscles, there is extra strain put on the tendon. With enough downward force, such as from landing on the foot from a jump, can tear the tendon. The calf muscles play a huge role in most sports, as they help us run, jump. Pivot, and maneuver in many different activities.

In Beckham’s case, and in many other cases, the tendon can be completely ruptured. When this happens, there are both surgical and non-surgical options. Surgically, the tendon is sewn together with durable sutures. The foot is then put into a cast for three to four weeks, or until the tendon can heal itself.

In non-surgical treatment, the foot may be put into a cast without any repair of the tendon itself. The tendon will actually heal itself over time. Studies show that after one year, the results of both surgical and non-surgical care are about the same.

Surgical intervention, however, has been shown to provide results faster than non-surgical options. There is also a slightly greater chance of a second tear or rupture when the tendon is not repaired surgically. For these reasons, it is understandable that David Beckham and his trainers and doctors opted for surgical treatment.

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com

The Battle at Marathon

As the spring approaches, we are entering into the marathon-training period (if you haven’t begun training already, that is). The arduous task of running 26.2 miles is taken on by thousands of people every year. The training is an intense process, usually lasts about three months, and is topped off with the physically, mentally, and emotionally draining challenge of running a marathon. You may be asking yourself at this point, “Why would anyone want to do this?”

Well, it all begins with the Greek legend of Pheidippides. The story goes that at the Battle of Marathon, the messenger Pheidippides was sent to Athens to report that the Persians had been defeated. After running the entire distance without stopping, Pheidippides burst into assembly to exclaim “Nenikekman”, which is translated as ‘We Have Won’. Pheidippides then collapsed and died.

The distance that Pheidippides had just completed is where the distance of a marathon run comes from. The Greek messenger, in travelling from Marathon to Athens, would have had to either crossed or ran around Mount Penteli. If he had travelled South around the mountain, which he presumptively had done, he would have completed a distance of just over 26 miles. There is some debate as to whether Pheidippides ran South of the mountain, or if perhaps he ran through the mountain, crossing straight rather than around. If he had done this, the original distance that Pheidippides ran would be significantly less than 26 miles.

The modern marathon evolved from more recent events. The marathon was first introduced during the 1896 Summer Olympics in Greece. The event was not designed with a set distance in mind, but rather with the route extending from Marathon to Athens. This was a distance of 24.85 miles. Spiridon “Spiros” Louis was the first winner of the marathon, with a time of 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds.

The Olympics committee would use the idea of connecting two points on a map together as a design for the marathon event for the next six Olympic games. It wasn’t until the 1924 Olympics that the set distance of 26.22 miles was adopted. The official distance, set by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) measures exactly 26 miles and 385 yards. This is now the distance that is used as a standard for marathon runs.

There are over 800 marathons that are organized every year. Of the most prestigious are the Boston, New York, Chicago, London, and Berlin marathons. The Boston Marathon is the longest standing of any of the annually held marathons. The tradition was started in 1897, following the popularity of the event from the 1896 Olympics. It is held every year in April, and attracts an average of about 20,000 registrants. The record for registrants was set in 1996, with 38,000 people registered to run. Time trials for the event make it difficult to enter, and it sets the scene for a very competitive event. Winners receive cash prizes, with first place overall in both men’s and women’s receiving $500,000 each.

The marathon experience has come a long way since its beginnings. What was once a Greek legend has turned into a rite of passage for serious runners. It is a distance that once attained warrants a bumper sticker, showing a glimpse of history in a strong symbol of modernism.

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com

Highlights from the Winter Olympics

The Vancouver games have come and gone, and with them came great athletes into our homes and onto our televisions. The spotlight is on skiing, snowboarding, skating and hockey, the last of which has desperately tried to reach out to fans from the professional level. Well this past February, that light has shone in attention for the NHL and more.

Al Michaels and Bob Costas handled most of the NBC broadcast, guiding us through the world that is the Olympics. Stories of the highs and lows of tremendous athletes’ careers were told to us.

There was Joannie Rochette, the Canadian figure skater won the bronze medal just days after her mother died of a heart attack.

And Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian luge slider that died in a horrendous crash while practicing.

And there was the USA-Canada hockey rivalry in the women’s division followed by the same set-up in the men’s division, of which both gold medal games went to the Canadians, in Canada.

Names like Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, and Shani Davis are etched into our memories, their gold medals gleaming.

Certainly, the drama was thick.

Through all of the back-stories and interviews, through the kiss-and-cry area in figure skating, and through the entire Olympics backdrop, there were some incredible displays of athletic performance.

Apollo Ohno, the U.S. speed skater that came into the games a heavy favorite demonstrated his strength both on and off the ice. NBC aired footage of Ohno working out on dry-land, stretching and warming up for the race. The stretches put so much weight on the lateral ligaments of the ankle, that the commentary mentioned the “do not try this at home” cliché.

The lateral ankle, of course, is a site of common pathology. Strains, sprains, tears and fractures all occur frequently at this site.

The exercise Ohno was performing demonstrated his strength and balance necessary for speed skating.

Shaun White showed us how to fly through the air, flipping around on a snowboard and landing a gold medal with an incredible performance. White’s signature move, the Double McTwist, had to wait to be displayed until after the official event in an encore run. The trick was deemed to be too dangerous for the Olympic games, and was thus banned from Vancouver.

Yes, the Winter Olympics is a grand affair. They bring us sports that we would otherwise rarely see. Curling, Nordic freestyle skiing, Biathalon, and ice dancing all become a part of our vernacular, if only for a brief time.

In addition to the athleticism on display, the theatrics of the Olympics holds nothing back. The grand finale: Michael Buble on a float in the arena that houses hockey and ice skating, singing ‘O Canada” with an amazing amount of Canadian celebrities and Mounties and dancers in a parade. It is an impressive event, and it fit well within the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com