Posted by For my STEAM project I wanted to more in depth into Achilles tendon injuries. I made a model of the tendon and its attaching muscle and bone. My visual was made from house hold items, reusing the skeletal model from our lab kits. For the first leg model I carefully stretched out the tendon before trying to flex and it didn’t tear when I full extended it and jerked it around a bit. For the other model I didnt stretch the tendon at all and in doing so I physically tear the achilleas tendon of model by flexing the foot upward. Showing the effects of not properly working your muscles/ tendons.
Clover provided her audience with a very vivid description of what happens when your Achilles tendon ruptures. She used hardened hot glue to demonstrate how the tendon can tear. The video demonstrating the tear of the Achilles tendon was very effective in giving the audience a visual of what the tear would look like. An audible popping sound can be heard when the tendon snaps. The tear most often occurs in the section of the tendon a few inches above the point where it attaches to the heel bone. This happens because of the poor blood flow to the area and is also the reason why it takes a long time for it to heal. According to her research, 80% of tears to this tendon are sports-related. She seemed to be very knowledgeable about the bones and the muscles that the Achilles tendon connects with. She discussed the number of different ways that an individual can repair their Achilles tendon in the event that it is broken. A doctor will do a physical examination of the area and then perform and MRI or ultrasound if necessary. An individual can choose to have surgery or go the nonsurgical route where the likelihood of the tendon rupturing again is very high. This topic is related to the objective covering the different muscles and joints. Clover went beyond the content that was taught in the course and lab and went into great detail about what exactly the Achilles tendon is and what its function is.