We report two cases of tendon rupture associated with ciprofloxacin. One patient had a complete rupture of an Achilles tendon 6 months after taking the medication. The other case involved a partial rupture of the subscapularis tendon. Both ruptures occurred with minimal mechanical stress on the tendons, suggesting that the fluoroquinolone increased the susceptibility to rupture...

A 38-year-old physician was involved in a motor vehicle accident resulting in vertebral and rib fractures, as well as bilateral hemopneumothoraces. After a 3-week admission, he was discharged on a 1-week course of ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily) because of a productive cough. The patient had no symptoms related to his legs until 6 months after discharge. At that time, he had sudden, severe pain while taking a short walk. Physical examination was consistent with a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon. He subsequently had surgical repair of the rupture, with an uneventful postoperative course.