Current concepts in the rehabilitation of an acute rupture of the tendo Achillis.
Rupture of the tendo Achillis is a common injury with a rising incidence. Traditionally the key question following this injury has been whether or not to operate. However a contemporary Cochrane review highlighted that the method of rehabilitation may also have an important contribution to the outcome. Since this review, various early weight-bearing rehabilitation protocols have been described. Currently evidence points to the use of early functional rehabilitation, regardless of operative or non-operative management. However, there is no consensus on which exact functional rehabilitation protocol should be used. Future research should be directed towards improving our understanding of how the different rehabilitative components interact in the tendo Achillis as it heals.
University of Warwick, Warwick Orthopaedics, Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, University Hospital, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK. r.s.kearney@warwick.ac.uk
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Costa
D000125:Achilles Tendon / Q000293:injuries*; D000208:Acute Disease; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012421:Rupture / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome