What if your proverbial Achilles Heel was really pain in your actual achilles’ tendon?
As you’ll remember from your mythology class in school, when Achilles was an infant, his mother dipped him into the river to make him immortal. But since she held him by one heel, this spot did not touch the water, so he remained vulnerable, and it was here that Achilles was eventually mortally wounded. We don’t say Achilles Heel in medicine, but the term is used to refer to someone’s weak point. For instance, “I would love to drop a few pounds, but those fries from McDonald’s are my Achilles Heel.”
Rather, in medicine, we refer to pain in that spot on the back of your lower leg where the gastrocnemius and soleus merge to make the achilles’ tendon as Achilles Tendonitis. It can develop anywhere from the middle of your calf where the muscles switch into a more tendon-like tissue, or all the way down at your heel where the tendon attaches.
To learn more about this, please check out this article written by our Fit For Life Physical Therapy newlywed bearded wonder, Frank Haller, DPT.
Frank Haller received his Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) from The Ohio State University in 2015. He put himself through seven years of PT school by working at FrontRunner, so he has the perfect balance of experience in gait analysis and proper shoe fitting for runners and walkers.
He has an interest in treating the outpatient orthopedic population, with a particular interest in caring for endurance athletes. He has clinical experience in a variety of outpatient settings including the OSU Endurance Medicine program and Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine.
Frank enjoys running and cycling and has completed both the Columbus and Cleveland full marathons, along with a variety of 5K, 10K, half marathon, and relay races. Frank is originally from Northeast Ohio, but now lives in Hilliard with his bride, Melissa, and continues to be a fan of The Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland sports!
Fit For Life Physical Therapy is proud to be Fleet Feet + FrontRunner’s physical therapy partner. We will keep you moving – no matter what you do. Contact Fit For Life Physical Therapy at (614) 981-1979 or www.fitforlifephysicaltherapy.com with your injury prevention, maintenance, or rehabilitation needs!