In the final round of the American NBA playoffs, shortly after the start of the game, we witnessed the rupture of the Achilles tendon of Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, the injury occurred on the same leg where he had already suffered a calf strain. Also in the final stages of the championship, there was Achilles tendon rupture at the expense of two other U.S. basketball league leaders Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks.
These injuries had a significant impact on the teams, leading them to miss the finals, and of course for the players involved it meant the end of the season.
Probably someone has asked the question: why do these players who are supposed to have the best medical staff in the world and have no budget problems to investigate possible causes also rupture their Achilles tendon?
We must always remember that when there is a problem, there is never just one cause, but a number of concomitant causes; I want to highlight two that these athletes and their companies certainly did not consider:
Intraosseous lesions
Muscle and tendons are always a consequence of the elasticity of bone. Bone has great elastic capacities that enable it primarily to cushion the force of gravity. To go specific on the leg proper, when the calf contracts, the tibia yields elastically to the contraction. The bone may have suffered direct trauma that while not causing a fracture has generated an internal injury that is called an intraosseous injury. When an intraosseous lesion is present on the tibia this results in an increase in density of that part and a relative loss of elasticity. Thus, in the presence of an intraosseous injury, following contraction, the tibia does not yield and the muscle may remain contracted, subsequently if the elasticity of the bone is not improved, tendon rupture may result.
Basketball players as a result of the repeated and constant overloading of the end of the tibia, which is inevitable in their sport, may incur an intraosseous overload injury. The good news is that with osteopathy and related intraosseous techniques, the bone quickly readjusts and already regains some of its elasticity within the session. For those who want to learn more about this topic, you can consult my book “Intraosseous Lesions”.
Hydration
The elasticity of any tissue is given by its level of hydration, I love to repeat that a wet sponge bends a dry sponge is stiff. First bone then tendons and finally muscles are affected by their level of hydration. Unfortunately, most people think hydration should be done with water so it is recommended to get to drinking at least two liters a day and instead hydration is done with raw fruits and vegetables. Only raw fruits and vegetables and at most herbal teas through the intestinal absorption system manage in the time it takes to hydrate the whole system.
Another significant variable is everything that causes dehydration starting from mouth breathing to all forms of intoxication as the body uses water to dilute toxins.
Perhaps in the United States, more so than in Italy, although at the highest levels of sports it is difficult not to get intoxicated and especially to find “healthy” fruits and vegetables
