There are a lot of benefits associated with playing sports, but it's always important to do your best to avoid injury. While strengthening and stretching your body can lower your injury risk, injuries can still occur. One type of injury that is fairly common in sports is an injury to your Achilles tendon, which is the tendon that runs vertically between your heel and calf muscle. Achilles injuries can happen in many different sports, including football, soccer, basketball, and more. If you believe that you've suffered an injury to this tendon, you should seek care from a medical clinic that specializes in sports injuries. Here are three common Achilles tendon injuries.

Tendonitis 

Tendonitis of the Achilles tendon can be fairly minor, but it's still a good idea to have a sports injury expert assess the injury and discuss treatment options with you. While tendonitis can go away on its own, it may take you a while to recover without professional care — and this may have you on the sidelines for your team for longer than you'd like. You can often tell that you have tendonitis of the Achilles tendon if this part of your body is swollen and has a limited range of motion without discomfort.

Partial Tear

It's possible to partially tear your Achilles tendon while you play sports. In a sport in which you wear cleats, such as soccer or football, catching your foot on the turf while you move your leg awkwardly can sometimes cause this tendon to tear. This can especially happen during body contact in football. The symptoms of an Achilles tear will depend on its severity, but it's common to experience a fair bit of pain. You may also have trouble walking with this injury.

Rupture

A ruptured Achilles tendon is a highly serious sports injury in which your tendon is fully torn. This type of injury will cause considerable pain and you'll have trouble putting weight on the leg that is affected. Some people report hearing a pop sound when they rupture their Achilles tendon, although you might not always be aware of this sound if you're in a noisy environment such as a loud basketball gym. While there are various treatment methods that your sports injury medical professional can discuss with you, surgery is a popular option. If you believe that you've suffered an injury while playing sports, contact a sports injury clinic.