Achilles was a hero of Greek mythology, the hero of Homer's Illiad and the bravest hero of the Trojan war.

According to some stories, when Achilles was born, his mother, Thetis, tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the magic river Styx. 

As Thetis immersed Achilles in the river, she held him by his heel, meaning that was the one place that was untouched by the protective water of the river.  So that was the one place he was capable of receiving a mortal blow.

In the Trojan war, Achilles defeated the greatest Trojan warrior, Hector after Hector had killed his friend Patroclus.

However, Paris of Troy fired an arrow at Achilles, which struck him in his one vulnerable spot, his heel. 

The term "Achilles heel" was first coined by the Dutch anatomist, Verheyden in 1693 when he dissected his own amputated leg, and we still call the major tendon that runs from the calf muscle and attaches to the back of the heel the "Achilles tendon".

We also still use the phrase "Achilles heel" to refer to an individual's weak spot or area of vulnerability.

Each of us has some vulnerability to injury or disease.  Our clinic has adopted the name the Achilles in the title the Achilles Foot Health Centre because we wish to help provide treatment for our patients' area of vulnerability, whether it literally is their actual Achilles tendon, or figuratively referring to another foot health issue.