While in San Francisco for the National Geography Bee, Alex Trebek chased down a criminal and assisted in her capture on Tuesday at 2:30pm and ruptured his Achilles tendon.  He states that he knew immediately of the injury because of the audible pop, feeling of a pop and associated pain.  He is now walking on crutches because of the injury.  The question may be, however, "Why did this happen?"

Alex Trebek is 71 years-old and with increasing age, we all lose some of the elasticity of the tendons and ligaments including the Achilles tendon.  This loss of elasticity can lead to a rupture of the tendon and may require protection during healing or even surgical repair. This has become a more common problem with weekend athletes or adults as they go into the late 30 and early 40 range and try to function as they did at 20.  Increasing age increases this risk.

The treatment options usually include one of the following:
1.  Casting to allow healing while walking on crutches.
2.  Surgical repair that may even require grafting to allow complete repair.

If you feel the pop, are playing a sport and felt like you got "kicked" in the back of the heel or hear the pop at the ankle.  If you have weakness or other complaints that may indicate injury to your Achilles tendon, it is recommended that you get evaluation by a foot & ankle specialist.