Kobe Bryant Tears Achilles

Kobe Bryant is a name that is known in houses nationwide. He is a legend when it comes to basketball and a person that people love to see play. He’s also a person that makes other teams nervous when they are about to play him. But, after Friday night’s game between the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors he may not be bringing fear into anyone’s heart for a while. He tore his Achilles during the game while playing the same way he says he always has. He ended up tearing his Achilles and it will take many weeks of recovery and rehab to get him back.

The Achilles is the most common tendon that is injured in the human body. It seems to happen in the most obscure ways: a wrong step here, a step off a curb not quite right or a wrong landing. Once it happens though, there are two ways that people can react. You will either hear a pop and fall to the ground in pain or it may just feel funny but you walk it off and don’t realize until the next morning when you are all swollen. Either way, this is an injury that is time sensitive, and the more time you wait, the longer the healing period.

You need to get to your podiatrist right away so that they can quickly get you into surgery and repair the damage. If your surgery can be done within the first 48 hours, it will prevent the tendon from pulling back into your calf. If the timing has been longer, then it doesn’t matter when your surgery is because it has already receded. In the meantime, you need to rest, ice, compress and elevate the leg to help it reduce the swelling and the pain. You can also take Tylenol to help with the pain and inflammation.

So, if you or someone you know has injured their achilles, you should seek help from your podiatrist. If you live in the North Reading or Tewksbury, Massachusetts area, Dr. Wachtel would be more than happy to see you and help treat your achilles. We are also happy to announce our Methuen and North Andover offices located at 451 Andover St. Suite 300, North Andover MA 01845 and 87 Jackson St, Methuen, MA 01835.