Achilles Tendinitis Keeps Utah Jazz Player Out of the Game.

While the Utah Jazz was in Chicago practicing, they were going to have to try to get along without their starting point guard Deron Williams. Williams developed a painful knot and bruising and the right calf. Because this discomfort started moving down towards his Achilles’ tendon, they decided to be cautious.

Achilles’ tendon problems can lead to significant disability. Any painful bruising associated with swelling or a knot anywhere near the Achilles’ tendon should be evaluated by your doctor immediately. Achilles’ tendon rupture can develop if not treated properly.

Attempting to continue to play or be involved in athletic activity with Achilles tendinitis can lead to a complete rupture of the tendon. Not only can a torn Achilles tendon be painful, but it can also lead to significant future disability.

Obviously a professional athlete, like Williams needs to make sure that he is okay before he returns to activity. The Jazz hopes that he will be back in their game against Milwaukee.


Dr. Christopher Segler is an Ironman Triathlon Finisher and award winning foot doctor specializing in elite athletes. His podiatry sports medicine practice is at the Ankle & Foot Center of Chattanooga. You can register for a FREE membership and will receive the monthly newsletter “Finisher’s Circle,” which provides expert advice on increasing your running efficiency and preventing injuries and foot pain by visiting http://www.AnkleCenter.com .

Houston Rockets’ Forward Still Out with an Ankle Sprain

The Houston Rockets’ forward Ron Artest is still out with an ankle sprain. Artest will probably be out for at least two games and is not expected to accompany the Rockets on the two-game road trip this weekend. He needs to rest his sore and swollen right ankle, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. “Ron will likely not travel with the team in order to rehab his right ankle,” Rockets athletic trainer Keith Jones said.

An MRI on Tuesday showed slightly torn ligaments (known as a Grade 1 sprain) in Artest’s ankle, a condition that has been aggravated by an ankle sprain suffered Nov. 17 during a game in Oklahoma City.

Usually high level athletes will back in the game sooner than this with a mild sprain. “While our medical staff agrees that the ankle injury is fine to play on, Ron is understandably frustrated that the pain has not subsided as he had hoped, so he wants to try sitting out the two-game road trip in order to see if the pain recedes.” Artest’s agent, David Bauman, said the swelling was particularly bad after Artest played for only 39 minutes in Tuesday’s 92-84 winning game over Atlanta.

“Looks like now is the time to do this and let him rest,” Bauman said. “It’s a back-to-back. It’s one of these things, unless he gets a chance to get a consistent chance to rest, it’s not going to get better. Taking off the Memphis game made him a little better. But today it was swollen and painful.”

Ankle sprains are common injuries and account for about 85% of all orthopedic injuries and 45% of all sports-related injuries.

There are three categories of sprains, based on the severity of the ankle injury.

1. First degree ankle sprain:
Some stretching or minor tearing of ligaments.
Mild pain and swelling.
Some difficulty walking.

2. Second degree ankle sprain:
Moderate tearing of ligaments.
Moderate pain and swelling.
Moderate difficulty walking.
Minor instability of the joint.

3. Third degree ankle sprain:
Rupture (complete tear) of at least one ligament ligament.
Instability of the joint (with risk of further injury).
Severe pain and swelling.
Inability to bear weight.

The best way to treat an ankle sprain is the PRICE method (Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation). Wear a splint or brace to protect it. Resting the foot will prevent further damage, and crutches should be used to prevent applying pressure to the ankle. Once you are able to bear weight without pain, it is best to do so because it accelerates the recovery process. Applying ice will initially reduce the swelling. Compression reduces swelling as well as providing ankle support. Elevating the ankle allows blood to flow away from the sprain and further reduces the swelling.

Since ankle injuries are usually accidental, it is difficult to prevent them. Bracing or taping can help. Always wearing proper fitting shoes that offer support around the ankle. This can reduce will the chances and severity of an injury. Ankle injuries cause damage that makes them unstable. The instability can increase the future risk of another sprain. By following a rehabilitation program and doing strengthening exercises, you can reduce the chances of a repeat injury.



Dr. Christopher Segler is an Ironman Finisher and award winning foot and ankle surgeon specializing in elite athletes. His podiatry practice is at the Ankle & Foot Center of Chattanooga. To learn more about Achilles tendonitis, runner’s heel pain, stress fractures, bunions and other common causes of foot pain, you can register for a FREE membership and copy of his monthly newsletter “Finisher’s Circle” by visiting http://www.AnkleCenter.com .

Achilles Tendon Surgery May Help Hurdler Liu

During the height of the 2008 Olympic Games, the world watched as Liu Xiang, China's 110m hurdles world champion, limped of the track. He had been plagued with Achilles tendon problems. He was forced to withdraw before his first-round heat at the Bird's Nest in August. It was obvious watching him try to start his key event that the pain was not just emotional.

But now there is hope that in spite of his Achilles tendon he will get back to running again. Lui traveled to the United States to have surgery last Friday to remove bone spurs that kept causing irritation to the tendon. The operation should decrease his chances for future Achilles tendonitis.

"We felt he did very well through the surgery," surgeon Thomas Clanton, who also helped Houston Rockets' Chinese centre Yao Ming recover from a foot stress fracture last year, told the China Daily. "His prognosis for running in the future is quite good."

It should take a bout six months of recovery before he is back to running again. On big advantage he his is his extraordinary physical conditioning. In general, athletes recover much faster after surgery than sedentary individuals. Right now he is hping to start jogging in late January.

The Achilles tendon is largest tendon anywhere in the human body. It is also the most frequently injured of all tendons. In Lui's case he had four small pieces of bone actually imbedded within the tendon that had to be removed. These often start out as bone spurs where the tendon attaches to the heel bone. With enough strain, they can break off. These broken spurs are sort of the equivalent of gravel in the tendon.

All of that irritation can cause chronic pain and inflammation which can weaken the tendon leading to Achilles tendon tears. We see these in our office very frequently among runners of all distances.

If you develop problems with your Achilles tendon, rest, ice, and stop running until you get checked out. Otherwise the world may be watching the day you limp off the Olympic track.

Dr. Christopher Segler is an award winning foot surgeon and Ironman Finisher who treats elite athletes. His podiatry sports medicine practice is at the Ankle & Foot Center of Chattanooga. To learn more about increasing your speed and avoiding running injuries like tendonitis, shin splints and stress fractures, you can register for a FREE membership and copy of his monthly newsletter “Finisher’s Circle” by visiting http://www.AnkleCenter.com .

Ankle Sprains: What Do the Pro's Have in Common With Us?

Florida leading receiver Percy Harvin was unable to play this Saturday against The Alabama Crimson Tide due to the ankle injury suffered last week at Florida State. But he had plenty of teammates ready to help. "We proved today that we're not a one-man team and that we have a lot of options," Harvin said. "We took care of business out there."

Fortunately many pro athletes have someone to fill and in and cover after an ankle sprain. Unfortunately for the rest of us an ankle injury can spell time out of the game and lost wages at work. Ankle sprains are the most common injury in sports. Even today I had a call from a neighbor and friend asking for advice about her daughter's ankle sprain.

When weekend warriors get injury, that can spell trouble. Most people just can't afford to sit out. Fortunately most ankle sprains can be treated quickly and effectively. Most of the time there is not surgery required.

The tried and true treatments include P.R.I.C.E. Protect the injured area with a splint or brace. Rest: don't walk on it until it calms down. Ice: 10-15 minutes per hour to reduce inflammation. Compression: wear an ACE bandage to keep the swelling down. Elevate: to help decrease swelling.

Make sure you get evaluated by a sports medicine or surgical podiatrist immediately if you have any bruising.

Just remember... if you are injured and don't get better, your teammates at work won't take over for your forever!


Dr. Christopher Segler is an Ironman Triathlete and award winning foot and ankle surgeon with a podiatry sports medicine practice in Chattanooga. He specializes in running injury prevention, sports medicine and surgical treatment of elite athletes. You can learn more about common causes of foot pain while running as well as sign up for a FREE monthly newsletter with tips to increase your running speed and efficiency at http:www.anklecenter.com.

Ankle Sprains and Basketball

This past Wednesday, Mike Miller of the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a right ankle sprain in their last game, a 100-89 loss in Orlando on Wednesday night. Although he was participating in the morning shoot-around on Friday, the Timberwolves went ahead and put him on the inactive list for the game. At the same time, another pro basketball player Josh Boone is still sitting out and is hoping to return to play for the Nets. So far, he has missed 11 games because of a left ankle contusion.

Ankle sprains are very common in basketball. In fact, all of the largest ankle injury studies that have taught us doctors anything worthwhile about ankle sprains have studied basketball players. Whether you are a high school athlete, weekend warrior or professional player, an ankle sprain can be thoroughly debilitating. There are several ways to make sure that you do not develop an ankle sprain.

First of all, make sure that you were high-top basketball shoes. Although there is no real evidence that these will prevent an ankle sprain, they do prevent contusions. When another player lands on your ankle. If you have any history of ankle instability, you should either have your ankle taped by your trainer or wear an ankle brace. Studies have shown that taping the ankle, will recruit skin stretch receptors in order to tell your brain when you are about to sprain your ankle. Although it will only work for about 30 minutes, this can reduce your risk of having another ankle sprain. If you still continue to have multiple ankle sprains, you should see a foot and ankle specialist to consider other treatments including physical therapy or surgery.

Physical therapy is extremely effective in reducing the number of ankle sprains following an injury that leads to ankle instability. We know that with proprioceptive training which teaches the muscles to compensate for damaged ligaments in the ankle, you can avoid future injury. Without avoiding future injury, you are at risk for serious problems and may have to have surgery when you want it or not.

There are several reasons people have surgery following an ankle sprain. One is to reconstruct severely damaged ligaments. Other tenants can also be injured and might need surgical repair. In those patients that have ankle instability and often sprain their ankles, it is frequently the case that they will roll their ankle so many times that sooner or later they break something. With most athletes, when something is broken, it must be fixed. That usually means surgery. Although the surgery will be a lot of fun for your surgeon, is not likely to be so much fun for you.

If you are playing basketball and sustain an ankle sprain, make sure that you follow the standard treatment of P.R.I.C.E. This means protection, rest, ice, compression, elevation. You must protect your ankle from further injury. This means wearing an ankle brace or an Aircast type splint. Obviously you want to rest the injured ankle and not play basketball until it heals. Icing right away he can stop a lot of the inflammation and swelling that can delay healing. Applying a compressor dressing such as an ace wrap can also stop some of the swelling and get you back to healing quicker. Keeping the foot elevated above your heart is inconvenient, but very effective at reducing the amount of swelling and inflammation. All of these can help to speed your healing.

Once all of the initial inflammation calms down and you can walk on the ankle without pain, it is important to get rehabilitated with physical therapy. This can prevent you from having another ankle sprain and ending up with surgery. Whether you are a pro or a novice, there’s no reason to let ankle sprains keep you out of the game.


Dr. Christopher Segler is an award winning foot surgeon, runner and Ironman Finisher who treats elite athletes. His podiatry sports medicine practice is at the Ankle & Foot Center of Chattanooga. To learn more about ankle sprains and other injuries like heel pain, tendonitis, shin splints and stress fractures visit http://www.AnkleCenter.com .