A heartbroken Thetis, who had been forewarned her son Achilles would die in battle from an arrow in the foot, took him to the River Styx. Thetis, who believed the river offered powers of invincibility, dunked her young son in the water. Instead of totally submersing him, Thetis held him by the foot, which remained untouched by the waters of the Styx. Achilles became a great warrior, untouched in many historic battles. During his last battle, a poisonous arrow hit him in the heel and he died hours later.
– Legend from Greek Mythology
When Jarryd Roughead went down with a torn Achilles against Geelong in round 12, Hawthorn’s hopes for a premiership lay sprawled on the MCG turf beside him. As Roughead raised his hand, a want for assistance, thousands of Hawk fans cried out in despair. A season that started slowly and built into potential lay at the wreckage of Roughead’s injured foot, and was carted off the ground.
Like Roughead’s Achilles, Hawthorn’s season was ruptured.
There is no suggestion Roughead is Hawthorn’s best player, but the Hawks have been playing injured since upsetting Geelong in the 2008 grand final. Roughead is out for 12 months with the Achilles. Key defenders Ben Stratton and Stephen Gilham will miss the rest of the season with knee injuries. Ruckman Brent Renouf is six weeks from playing following surgery to remove his Gaul bladder. At the weekend, Cyril Rioli injured his troublesome hamstring and Brad Sewell strained a medial ligament in his knee.
The injuries are rising. Roughead mightn’t be the Hawks best, but in a season wrecked by injury, he’s the loss the Hawks can’t cover. No club can continue to lose solid performers and win a premiership. Hawthorn’s depth was a mile wide, now it’s an inch deep.
Don’t bet on them to win the premiership. Coach Alistair Clarkson must be ruing his lack of luck ever since that momentous grand final win. No good deed goes unpunished…
Achilles injuries are rare in AFL football. Aside from Roughead, Collingwood’s Anthony Rocca and Melbourne’s Russell Robertson are the only recent high-profile victims of a ruptured Achilles.
The Achilles tendon is the strongest tendon in the body. In connecting the heel to the calf muscles, the tendon allows a person to stand on their toes, run, walk and jump. Each time a person walks, the Achilles is burdened by body weight. If a person weighs 100kg, that’s the strain put on each Achilles with each step. When a person runs, the weight load is increased between three and twelve times, meaning a 100kg man in a sprint can impart one tonne of weight onto his Achilles.
Throughout society, it is the most commonly injured tendon, which is surprising, given how scarce Achilles injuries are in the AFL.
When Roughead ruptured his Achilles, he looked around to see who had kicked him. The vision was a reminder to the night Anthony Rocca ruptured his. In a sprint, Rocca’s momentum was halted and he turned around to see who kicked him before he went to ground. No one was there. His Achilles had snapped, the calf muscle rolling up into a tight ball below his knee.
Doctors suggest keeping fit is the best way to prevent an Achilles injury. Footballers suggest otherwise. Like any injury, if an Achilles strain is ignored, it is likely to worsen. North Melbourne’s Hamish McIntosh played last season with damaged Achilles tendons and needed surgery to repair both. Although his tendons weren’t ruptured, he might not play this season.
Given most footballers play with niggles, aches and pain, there is a chance Roughead was trying to manage an injury, a strain that wasn’t bad enough to prevent training or playing, a minor injury that snapped under immense loading.
In the United States, more than 230,000 people suffer from Achilles tendon injuries each year. The injuries are caused by all manner of things, including muscle tears or strains in the leg or hip, high heel shoes and large increases in training. Although Achilles injuries are common, people over 30 are more susceptible, particularly those who try to get fit rapidly.
Achilles tendinosis, which presents itself as pain and stiffness in the foot after getting out of bed, is the most common injury. The injury, which occurs gradually, is simply diagnosed by gently pinching the Achilles. If it hurts, there’s a problem. Many long distance runners experience tendinosis. Treatment is simple, cessation of any activity that causes pain, along with ice, elevation and massage.
A rupture, or partial or complete tear, happens suddenly. Surgery is required. There are two different types, open and percutaneous.
To repair the tendon by open surgery, the back of the leg is cut open and the Achilles tendon is stitched together. If the rupture is serious, the tendon from the plantaris muscle, which runs alongside the Achilles, can be wrapped around and stitched to the tendon to help increase strength. Surgeons also use degradable mesh if the Achilles is badly ruptured.
Percutaneous surgery is less invasive, and requires small incisions in the back of the leg to realign the tendon and sew it back together.
Both methods of surgery are successful, but the statistics, while promising, provide Roughead with a warning. Eighty percent of people who have a rupture repaired surgically attain the level of excellence they achieved prior to the injury. Five percent will re-rupture their Achilles, while 15 percent experience ongoing problems and cannot return to the level of performance prior to surgery.
There are the standard risks associated with all surgeries, including infections, nerve damage, repeat of rupture, decreased range of motion and a weakened tendon.
At the moment Jarryd Roughead is wearing a cast and a moon boot. He’ll be in it for between six and twelve weeks. The cast and boot keep his foot pointing down as the tendon melds back together. Over the coming weeks, the boot will be realigned to place his foot into a flat position. Before the boot comes off, he’ll begin movement and weight bearing exercises. He won’t be able to run for at least three months, maybe more, depending on his progress.
The rehabilitation will be long and difficult. The Achilles is a strong, thick tendon with little blood supply, which is why it takes longer to heal. He’ll be offered orthotic support. At first, the tendon will be tight. Roughead will start off stretching the tendon gently, increasing the angle according to pain levels. Stretching, with his toes elevated on a platform and his heel on the ground, will stimulate the tendon to repair itself.
Roughead will spend hours stretching the tendon. Eventually he’ll carry weights during stretching, which help the collagen fibres become stronger. Using weights, he’ll stretch eccentrically, or downwards, as far as the pain allows.
When the tendon allows a full range of motion, Roughead will start running again. The pain will be intense. Each step will feel as though the tendon wants to tear again. It’ll be months before he will be confident in the heel.
Clad in boot, Roughead appeared on Channel 9’s The Footy Show and discussed the injury, how it felt like he’d been kicked. His injury was compared with those suffered by Anthony Rocca and Russell Robertson.
‘I’m only 24,’ Roughead said. ‘With no disrespect to them they were a lot older than me, I think they were both 29.’
Though Rocca and Robertson struggled upon their return, Roughead might be clutching at youthful hope. He is no guarantee to recover fully, just because he’s five years younger. An Achilles injury, no matter the age, is debilitating. He was pleased, though, that Robertson had made contact.
‘I was lucky enough to get an email from Russell Robertson the other day just to describe just what he did and what different things worked for him,’ Roughead said. ‘You’ll take any advice from people who have done it because it’s so uncommon.’
He acknowledged the recovery would be long and tough, but said he wouldn’t be rushing back. His recovery would be complete, and no chances would be taken.
‘I’m not going to rush it in any way,’ he said. ‘I want to get it right and not have problems with it again. If it’s six, nine or 12 months, then that’s what it will take.’
Hawthorn thrashed the Bombers at the weekend. Watching on, Roughead must be ruing bad luck. The Hawks are third. Given Carlton’s loss to West Coast at the weekend, they’re the team most likely to challenge Collingwood and Geelong. But the Hawks haven’t beaten Geelong since the 2008 grand final. They’re not likely to defeat Collingwood either.
Injury doesn’t discriminate. It certainly doesn’t like Hawthorn.
Pride Cup results:
| 82 | Dave (6) |
| 81 | Stevo (6), Anne (7) |
| 80 | James (6), Russ (6) |
| 79 | Matt B (6) |
| 78 | Matt (6) |
| 77 | Adam L (4), Eric (6), Wayne (7), Andy (6) |
| 76 | Sandra (6) |
| 75 | Adam G (6), Jim (4) |
| 72 | Graeme (7), Dallas (5) |
| 69 | Paul (5) |
| 64 | George (6) |
