Question
I have two questions:  1) I have just had an MRI of my ankle due to achilles pain. My doctor saw me immediately after the MRI and gave me the results even before the radiologist looked at it.  He said I have a 40% tear in my achilles.  When I did get the radiologist's report, there was no mention of a tear.  Is this a common occurrence?  Is my doctor looking at things in more detail?  I would think a 40% tear would be hard to miss on an MRI.
2) This is my second problem with my achilles. I had surgery in January for a partially torn achilles on the other foot. I took up a walking program over a year ago to lose weight, and definitely am regretting it. Is it possible to just have weak tendons??

Answer
A 40% tear is pretty recognizable and should have been picked up by the radiologist.  If it were me in that situation (as the doctor) I would conference with the radiologist to verify my findings.  Most importantly, you need to make sure you are being controlled biomechanically (ie with orthotics).  Extra pull on your tendons because of poor mechanics can wear them down and allow them to become injured.  

All the best,
Andrew Schneider, DPM

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