INDIANAPOLIS — The season is officially over for Colts quarterback Daniel Jones after tearing his Achilles tendon in Jacksonville.
The official announcement came from Coach Shane Steichen on Monday.
Indiana Sports fans are all too familiar with this injury after witnessing the Pacers Tyrese Haliburton suffer the same injury in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
"The Achilles tendon has been rough on Indianapolis pro sports for sure with Haliburton and now Jones," said Steve Herbst.
Central Indiana Orthopedics surgeon Steve Herbst said recovering from an Achilles tendon injury is a tough journey.
"We're taught a lot throughout our lives that no pain, no gain. If it hurts, just sort of stretch it and work through it. The Achilles seems to work in the exact opposite. So, when it's injured, when it starts to become painful, it's not something you want to ignore," he said.
An Achilles tendon injury is an injury of the tendon that connects the calf muscle to the heel bone.
The sudden injury to two star athletes in Indianapolis has devastated many fans.
Dr. Herbst said it's important to listen to your body.
"Stretching can be very helpful, backing off on sport, and if that doesn't do the trick, then it really needs to be assessed by someone who's who knows what they're doing with respect to the industry," he said.
Dr. Herbst said Achilles injuries are on the rise, especially in younger athletes.
"We've got a super active older population now, which is great. Pickleball has picked up all these new sports, and people are staying active much longer in life, but we're seeing a dramatic increase in younger kids with the injury. We're talking about high school, college, early pro-level athletes, people who should be very elite," he said.
He believes the increase is due to body types and training.
"People are more muscular, people are taller, sport-specific training goes year-round," he said.
Ways to injure the tendon are overuse, but more commonly is an acute rupture.
Herbst said a sprain can be treated with a boot or rest.
"The farther down and closer you get to the heel is really where you start to get concerned. Swelling, weakness, inability to stand on your tiptoes, anything in that lower part of the leg, closer to the heel bone, really needs to be assessed," he said.
Stretches include calf raises. Standing on your tiptoes and slowly placing your foot back on the ground.
