It’s uncommon in sports injuries for it to be women or it to be younger athletes. And so, Achilles tendon ruptures are classically the scourge of a 40- to 60-year-old male. It’s designed to provide power for push off when taking a running step. It’s designed to stretch, it’s designed to absorb force when the athlete lands from a jump. The Achilles tendon attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone. Kevin Stone, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. Back in 2015, Mavs Moneyball spoke to Dr. The Achilles tendon is the thickest and strongest in the entire body, connecting the calf muscles to the heel bones. This is Kevin Durant’s legacy An NBA Finals game for the ages (burn all recordings of it, please) The Golden Breakdown: Kevin Durant gave it his all for his team, and the Warriors gave it their all for their survival What happens during an Achilles tendon tear? That’s the uphill battle Durant is facing.
There are very few complete success stories. A 2015 CBS Sports article found that among 14 players who returned from Achilles injuries since 1992, they averaged fewer minutes while both their field goal and three-point percentages dropped, on average. Players who returned missed an average of 56 games and saw their PER decline in their first and second seasons back. However, we’ve also seen many players never fully recover and, in some instances, never play another game.Īccording to a 2013 medical study that identified 18 players who suffered major Achilles injuries over a 23-year span (1988-2011), seven players never returned to the league. We’ve also seen players recover quicker from Achilles injuries in recent years than the past.
We know more about ACL tears, and there are occasionally injuries that are more gruesome, like Gordon Hayward’s broken ankle during the 2017 season opener. The unbearable sadness of DeMarcus Cousins’ injury