Can Achilles' tendon weakness make a person fall often?
ADVERTISEMENT

Q. My mom met with two major falls. Is that due to Achilles tendon weakness?

Answered by
Dr. Sumit Chawla
and medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team.
This is a premium question & answer published on Jul 31, 2016 and last reviewed on: Jul 26, 2023

Hi doctor,

I have a question for my mother. My mother is 50 years old. She complains of an episodic, sudden loss of weight-bearing ability on the left Achilles tendon. This has resulted in two major falls, which resulted in trauma. These are present for the past few months and have become more frequent in the last month. She also has pain in her knees bilaterally, which has been attributed to osteoarthritis. She also complains of hip pain associated with swelling and difficulty in standing, lying, and changing sides while sleeping. There is episodic stiffness present in the shoulders, which causes some discomfort in raising arms above the shoulder level. She is taking Bisoprolol 5 mg and Amlodipine 5 mg for high BP and it is well-controlled. She has no history of any allergies. She has kidney stones and so occasional pain in the lumbar area. She used to get constipation frequently. She was hospitalized four times for normal vaginal deliveries and once for abortion. She is monogamous with her husband. She has a positive family history of hypertension in her mother, CAD in her father, mother, and brother, and uterine cancer in her mother. She has a history of menorrhagia and cycles have become more irregular now. Then, diagnostics D and C were performed last year, which was normal. She will not smoke or drink. She sleeps four to six hours daily and snores at night.

#

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your mother's elaborative history provided here, along with the reports attached (attachment removed to protect patient identity) with this query. She has mild osteoarthritic changes in the lumbosacral region with osteoarthritis knee, anemia, periarthritis shoulder or osteoarthritis shoulder joint. For diagnosing it X-ray of the shoulder will be required. Early osteoarthritis and periarthritis (frozen shoulder) can be managed by similar guidelines with range of motion exercises and steroid injections. Arthroscopic procedures can also give good results during early cases. If it is osteoarthritis shoulder joint, then the treatment will depend on the severity of the disease. I think it is more likely to be frozen shoulder(periarthritis shoulder) rather than osteoarthritis considering her age group. Although, your mother has uric acid in the high normal range, I would not consider starting any gout medication as the medication once started will become a lifelong therapy in addition to her hypertension treatment. Secondly, there are no signs or symptoms of the effects of increased uric acid. My recommendation is to have dietary and lifestyle modifications to lower uric acid concentration and drug therapy to be started if there are symptoms of polyarthralgia involving small joints especially foot. There is no condition where the Achilles tendon is intermittently unable to bear weight. People with traumatic injury to Achilles tendon are able to walk although with difficulty. So, kindly assess the function of Achilles tendon properly as there is some other pathology in falling episodesof your mother rather than an intermittent giving way by TA.

Thank you.


Was this answer helpful?

 | 

Same symptoms doesn’t mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!



Related Questions:
My mom met with two major falls. Is that due to Achilles tendon weakness?

.. gone through your mother's elaborative history provided here, along with the reports attached (attachment removed to protect patient identity) with this query. She has mild osteoarthritic changes in the lumbosacral region with osteoarthritis knee, ane   Read full

Is there a permanent remedy to get rid of psoriasis?

Hello doctor, Yesterday, I had three wisdom teeth removal and a bit of other work. My right side feels completely pain-free but the bottom left is hurting so bad. Pain comes and goes and I am absolutely terrified of dry socket but when I try to have a look there is a big flap of skin over the top, so I cannot see if a clot is there or not?   Read full

How can I manage shoulder pain?

Hello doctor, Yesterday, I had three wisdom teeth removal and a bit of other work. My right side feels completely pain-free but the bottom left is hurting so bad. Pain comes and goes and I am absolutely terrified of dry socket but when I try to have a look there is a big flap of skin over the top, so I cannot see if a clot is there or not?   Read full

Also Read Answers From:

ideaComprehensive Medical Second Opinion.Submit your Case

Also Read


PCOS and Liver Problems
The hormonal imbalances in polycystic ovary syndrome could cause liver diseases. Read the article to know the relationship between these medical conditions.  Read more»
Inferior Alveolar Nerve Lateralization Technique
The inferior alveolar nerve lateralization technique is a surgical lateralization technique to reposition the nerve. Read the article to know more about this.  Read more»
COVID-19 and Ebola: Similarities and Differences
This article gives a comparison and broader overview of the outbreak of the two deadliest diseases that showed a greater incidence over the last two decades.  Read more»

Ask your health query to a doctor online?

Ask an Orthopaedician & Traumatologist Now

* guaranteed answer within 4 hours.

Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.