[Partial rupture of the Achilles tendon in athletes]

The author discusses a group of ten sportsmen who suffered from achillodynia in the most distant part of the Achilles tendon, where the immediate cause was partial rupture. In seven instances the rupture was at the site of contact of the tendon with the prominent posterior part of the calcaneus. In the remaining three patients it was above the calcaneus. Two of these ruptures may have developed in conjunction with the application of a hydrocortisone preparation in the neighbourhood of the tendon. Treatment involved ablation of the prominent calcaneus, excision of the retrocalcanear bursa and suture of the tendon, depending on the extent of the defect. When the lesion was beyond contact with the calcaneus, the tendon was treated in the same way. The follow-up period of the patients is 7 months to 4 years. Nine sportsmen resumed their contest activities.