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Imaging of plantar fascia and Achilles injuries undertaken at the London 2012 Olympics

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Abstract

Plantar fascia and distal Achilles injuries are common in elite athletes. Acute athletic injuries of the plantar fascia include acute plantar fasciopathy and partial or complete tears. Underlying most acute injuries is a background of underlying chronic plantar fasciopathy. Injuries may affect the central or less commonly lateral portions of the fascia and acute tears are generally proximal. Athletic Achilles injuries may occur at the mid tendon or the distal insertion, and there may be an underlying chronic tendinopathy. Acute or chronic paratendinopathy may occur as a separate entity or combined with Achilles injury. In this article, the spectrum of athletic injuries of the plantar fascia and Achilles is described, illustrated by imaging findings from the London 2012 Olympic games.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS, UK

    David A. Elias

  2. Department of Radiology, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, GU2 7XX, UK

    Andrew Carne

  3. GE, British Society of Skeletal Radiology (BSSR)/Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) 2012 Fellow, London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, Edinburgh, UK

    Sarath Bethapudi

  4. Department of Orthopaedics, University of Oslo and Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre, Oslo Norway, International Olympic Committee, Château de Vidy, 1007, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Lars Engebretsen

  5. International Olympic Committee, Château de Vidy, 1007, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Richard Budgett

  6. Department of Radiology, Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, LS1 3EX, UK

    Philip O’Connor

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  1. David A. Elias
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  2. Andrew Carne
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  3. Sarath Bethapudi
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  4. Lars Engebretsen
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  5. Richard Budgett
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  6. Philip O’Connor
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Correspondence to Philip O’Connor.

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Elias, D.A., Carne, A., Bethapudi, S. et al. Imaging of plantar fascia and Achilles injuries undertaken at the London 2012 Olympics. Skeletal Radiol 42, 1645–1655 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-013-1689-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-013-1689-1

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