Dancers know pain

"National Ballet of Canada dancer Rex Harrington knows this all too well, having ruptured his Achilles tendon earlier this week during his opening night performance in Song & Dance at the Danforth Music Hall.

...the dancer, who retired from the ballet company in 2004 after 20 years, won't be returning to the role..."

!?! Seriously!?! Holy under-statement, Batman.

If he has ruptured his Achilles, he's looking at surgery, followed by a hard cast for a few weeks, followed by a soft/air cast for another month, followed by four to six months of rehab. He's already in his late thirties/early forties, so if you do the math... See here or here. I like these quotes: "There is a vigorous contraction of the muscle"; or "The defect in the tendon is easy to see and to palpate as seen in this picture (ed. note: unless you're an ER nurse)"; and especially "There is often an audible "pop." (ed. note: yep and a nauseating sound it is)"

Anyway, the picture of Jennifer Fournier's feet is compelling.