Introduction: Achilles tendon injuries usually occur with abrupt movements at the level of the ankle and foot, and the consequence is the overload of the Achilles tendon. Aim: Examine the Achilles tendon load as a function of the landing angle, and find the critical point at which the tendon overload begins and when a further increase in the landing angle can lead to rupture. Methods: The study has a prospective character. The input data represent the anthropometric values of the respondents, who are professional basketball players in the senior national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina and were processed in the CATIA v5-6 software solution. Software data processing analyzed the landing angles and the transfer of force to the Achilles tendon. The end result is a regression curve, which projects the angle at which the Achilles tendon is overloaded, and indicates an increased risk of possible injury to the tendon itself. Results: The onset of overloading starts at an angle of 32.28° and at an angle of 35.75° the overloaded load occurs, indicating the need for the subject to change the position of the foot to prevent damage to the tendon itself. Conclusion: An angle of 35.75° is the critical point at which the Achilles tendons are overloaded at the very landing. Prevention of injury should go in the direction of practicing the feet for a particular position at the time of the landing, and in the direction to develop adequate footwear that would mitigate the angle at the landing.

Introduction: Chronic osteomyelitis (COM) is a severely debilitating disease, causing both physical and psychological repercussions for patients. It is particularly common in austere environments and areas of armed conflict. 1,2,3 The most common cause across all age groups is neglected penetrating wounds.4 Often overlooked, COM is one of the many lasting health effects of warfare. Deep infections of the bone following penetrating and blast injuries are common in regions plagued by conflict and cause major physical and social disability. Materials & Methods: Patient records at the University of Sarajevo Clinical Center Department of Orthopedics & Traumatology were analyzed retrospectively between 2003 and 2013 of patients hospitalized with diagnosed COM. Results: 155 patients were hospitalized at UCCS for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis between 2003-2013. Mean age of patients at the time of hospitalization was 56 years. The most common medical comorbidity of patients was diabetes mellitus type 2. Unemployment among patients was 46.1%. The most common cause of COM in this cohort was intentional injury associated with the war between the years of 1992-1995 (46.2%). These were caused by sniper or gunshot wounds (25.4%), landmines or unexploded ordnance (37.7%), and mortar shell explosions (28.8%). The mean hospital stay among patients with COM at UCCS was 31.10 days, although this varied widely depending upon the severity of symptoms and the type of treatment required. Conclusion: The health burden of chronic osteomyelitis persists for many years beyond the original. Chronic pain and disability contribute to a lifetime of repeated treatments, hospital stays, and high rates of unemployment. This study describes the current burden of COM upon the population of Sarajevo, as well as serving as a foreboding prediction of what can be expected in war zones for many years in the future. Keywords: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sarajevo, chronic osteomyelitis, war injuries, orthopedics, infectious disease, social medicine.