[Treatment of traumatic sections of the Achilles tendon].

The author maintains that the atrophy of the sural triceps muscle, the retraction of the Achille tendon and the osteoporosis of the calcaneum and of the tarsian bones, occurring after the traumatic sectioning of the Achille tendon, are the results of an inadequate treatment. The cause of these sequellae is the immobilization of the foot in an equinus position, which relaxes the sural triceps and as a result of the lack of mechanical traction factor, leads to local circulatory disturbances followed by a modification in the structure of the bone and of the muscle. On the basis of this pathophysiological concept the author has excluded post-operative immobilization in the equinus position, and in fact any type of immobilization, recommending in contrast a mobilization of the foot from the very first days after the suture of the tendon. The clinical results obtained confirm the value of the hypothesis.