-
Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review Jun 2021The optimal postoperative management of Achilles tendon (AT) rupture remains unknown. The past 2 decades have witnessed a trend toward less rigid immobilization, earlier...
The optimal postoperative management of Achilles tendon (AT) rupture remains unknown. The past 2 decades have witnessed a trend toward less rigid immobilization, earlier weightbearing, and accelerated functional rehabilitation postoperatively. The objective of this study was to identify all high-quality studies pertaining to rehabilitation after AT repair and characterize the various rehabilitation protocols that have been described. A systematic review of the English-language literature was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. All included studies represented level 1, 2, or 3 evidence and examined postoperative rehabilitation protocols following the repair of an acute AT rupture. A total of 1187 subjects were included. Surgical technique, rehabilitation protocol, and outcome assessment varied widely between studies. Early postoperative weightbearing with less rigid immobilization appears to accelerate short-term functional recovery. An aggressive rehabilitation program may also be advantageous in the short term, but further studies are needed to determine the long-term effects of these accelerated physical therapy and return-to-play protocols.
Topics: Achilles Tendon; Combined Modality Therapy; Humans; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Postoperative Care; Recovery of Function; Rupture; Tendon Injuries
PubMed: 33972490
DOI: 10.1097/JSA.0000000000000309 -
Journal of the International Society of... 2022Tendinopathy is a painful condition that is prevalent in athletes as well as the general human population, and whose management is challenging. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Tendinopathy is a painful condition that is prevalent in athletes as well as the general human population, and whose management is challenging.
OBJECTIVE
This systematic review aimed to evaluate the impact of nutrition on the prevention and treatment of tendinopathy.
METHODS
Searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus without restriction to year of publication. Studies examining the impact of exposure to nutrient intake in an adult human population on 1) prevalence/incidence of tendinopathy, 2) clinical outcomes of tendinopathy, 3) structural changes in the tendon by imaging modalities. Experimental and observational study designs written in English, Dutch, or German were eligible.
RESULTS
Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The effects of the habitual diet were investigated in one study. Four studies examined the effects of exposure to alcohol. Alcohol consumption can be a potential risk factor associated with Achilles tendinopathy and rotator cuff tears, although findings were inconsistent. The use of dietary supplements was examined in fourteen studies. Among these, collagen-derived peptides were most often part of the supplements evaluated. Combining training and dietary supplements seems to induce better clinical and functional outcomes in tendinopathy.
CONCLUSION
This review demonstrates the paucity of high-quality studies and a wide variety among studies regarding nutrients, tendon location, study population, and reported outcome measures. Individual studies showed promising clinical implications for the use of dietary supplements, particularly those containing collagen-derived peptides. However, giving any definitive dietary recommendations on the prevention and treatment of tendinopathy remains elusive.
Topics: Achilles Tendon; Adult; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Humans; Nutritional Status; Observational Studies as Topic; Tendinopathy
PubMed: 35937777
DOI: 10.1080/15502783.2022.2104130 -
The Physician and Sportsmedicine Dec 2023Identifying risk factors for Achilles Tendon Rupture (ATR) is one of the first necessary steps for its prevention. This systematic review aimed to update the systematic... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Identifying risk factors for Achilles Tendon Rupture (ATR) is one of the first necessary steps for its prevention. This systematic review aimed to update the systematic review published in 2014 in ATR etiology.
METHODOLOGY
A systematic review was carried out using PubMed, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect databases. All types of research studies (Randomized Control Trials - RCTs, Cohort studies, Case-control studies and Cross-sectional studies) that considered ATR, were eligible. The inclusion criteria for eligibility of the studies were to be written in the English language, and to include populations of men and/or women, both athletes, and non-athletes, healthy individuals, and patients. Two independent reviewers used the assessment instrument Newcastle-Ottawa Scale independently, to evaluate the quality of each selected study. Further, two reviewers worked independently to extract the study characteristics, and the GRADE methodology was used to assess the level of certainty of each risk factor.
RESULTS
From 9526 studies initially identified, 19 studies were eligible for further analysis to identify risk factors for ATR. Seventeen studies were considered good quality, and two studies fair quality. Low to very low certainty of evidence was found for the following medications: steroids, quinolones, and oral bisphosphonate, as well as for other factors such as chronic tendon inflammation and Achilles' tendinopathy, spring season, diabetes, previous musculoskeletal injury, regular participation in athletic activity, hyperparathyroidism, renal failure, and genetic factors.
CONCLUSIONS
The risk factors found prove that ATR is a multifactorial injury. Appropriate methodologies and well-designed studies are needed to determine the factors and their significance in ATR risk. Finally, the role of biomechanical and psychological aspects in the ATR etiology may be of interest in future studies, as we could not extract relative data in our review.
Topics: Male; Humans; Female; Achilles Tendon; Cross-Sectional Studies; Tendon Injuries; Risk Factors; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rupture
PubMed: 35670156
DOI: 10.1080/00913847.2022.2085505 -
EFORT Open Reviews Oct 2022The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare re-rupture rates, complication rates, functional outcomes, as well as return to work (RTW)/sport (RTS)... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare re-rupture rates, complication rates, functional outcomes, as well as return to work (RTW)/sport (RTS) among different rehabilitation protocols following operative treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures.
METHODS
Systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Five databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing at least two rehabilitation protocols following surgical repair of acute Achilles tendon ruptures. Rehabilitation protocols were classified as a variation of either non-weightbearing (NWB) or weightbearing (WB) and immobilization (IM) or mobilization (M). The data collection consisted of re-ruptures, complications, and RTW/RTS.
RESULTS
Out of 2760 studies screened, 20 RCTs with 1007 patients were eligible. Fourteen studies included a group consisting of WB + M (Group 1), 11 of WB + IM (Group 2), 3 of NWB + M (Group 3), and 13 of NWB + IM (Group 4). Outcome parameters available for a meta-analysis were re-ruptures, complications, RTW, and RTS. Re-ruptures overall occurred in 2.7%, with prevalences ranging between 0.04 and 0.08. Major complications occurred in 2.6%, with prevalences ranging between 0.02 and 0.03. Minor complications occurred in 11.8% with prevalances ranging between 0.04 to 0.17. Comparing the odds-ratios between the four different groups revealed no significant differences with overall favourable results for group 1 (WB+M).
CONCLUSION
Early functional rehabilitation protocols with early ankle M and WB following surgical repair of acute Achilles tendon ruptures are safe and they apparently allow for a quicker RTW and RTS and seem to lead to favourable results.
PubMed: 36287109
DOI: 10.1530/EOR-22-0072 -
Journal of Functional Morphology and... Jul 2019Achilles tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal disorder. Athletes, runners and jumpers, and the sedentary are frequently affected. Numerous are the therapeutic... (Review)
Review
Achilles tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal disorder. Athletes, runners and jumpers, and the sedentary are frequently affected. Numerous are the therapeutic choices to manage these kinds of disorders. The aim of this review is to analyze the available literature to document the up-to-date evidence on conservative management of Achilles tendinopathy. A systematic review of two medical electronic databases was performed by three independent authors, using the following inclusion criteria: conservative treatment consisted of pharmacologic, physical therapy without operative treatment, with more of 6 months symptoms and a minimum average of 6-months follow-up. Studies of any level of evidence, reporting clinical results, and dealing with Achilles tendinopathy and conservative treatment were searched for. A total of = 1228 articles were found. At the end of the first screening, following the previously described selection criteria, we selected = 94 articles eligible for full-text reading. Ultimately, after full-text reading and a reference list check, we selected = 29 articles. Achilles tendinopathy is a frequent musculoskeletal disorder and several conservative treatments have been proposed, but no therapy is universally accepted, except for eccentric exercise training, which is the gold standard and a commonly used protocol.
PubMed: 33467361
DOI: 10.3390/jfmk4030046 -
British Journal of Sports Medicine Mar 2021To provide a consistently updated overview of the comparative effectiveness of treatments for Achilles tendinopathy. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVE
To provide a consistently updated overview of the comparative effectiveness of treatments for Achilles tendinopathy.
DESIGN
Living systematic review and network meta-analysis.
DATA SOURCES
Multiple databases including grey literature sources were searched up to February 2019.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials examining the effectiveness of any treatment in patients with both insertional and/or midportion Achilles tendinopathy. We excluded trials with 10 or fewer participants per treatment arm or trials investigating tendon ruptures.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation to appraise the certainty of evidence.
PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE
The validated patient-reported Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles questionnaire.
RESULTS
29 trials investigating 42 different treatments were included. 22 trials (76%) were at high risk of bias and 7 (24%) had some concerns. Most trials included patients with midportion tendinopathy (86%). Any treatment class seemed superior to wait-and-see for midportion Achilles tendinopathy at 3 months (very low to low certainty of evidence). At 12 months, exercise therapy, exercise+injection therapy and exercise+night splint therapy were all comparable with injection therapy for midportion tendinopathy (very low to low certainty). No network meta-analysis could be performed for insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
In our living network meta-analysis no trials were at low risk of bias and there was large uncertainty in the comparative estimates. For midportion Achilles tendinopathy, wait-and-see is not recommended as all active treatments seemed superior at 3-month follow-up. There seems to be no clinically relevant difference in effectiveness between different active treatments at either 3-month or 12-month follow-up. As exercise therapy is easy to prescribe, can be of low cost and has few harms, clinicians could consider starting treatment with a calf-muscle exercise programme.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42018086467.
Topics: Achilles Tendon; Humans; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Tendinopathy
PubMed: 32522732
DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2019-101872 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2023Tendinopathy is a growing global concern affecting many people, like athletes, workers, and the elderly. Despite its commonality among the sporting population, there is... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Tendinopathy is a growing global concern affecting many people, like athletes, workers, and the elderly. Despite its commonality among the sporting population, there is no practical clinical guideline for patellar tendinopathy (PT). Furthermore, there is conflicting evidence between clinical guidelines on shockwave therapy's application and clinical utility for Achilles tendinopathy (AT) and plantar fasciitis (PF). Thus, our aim of this study is to evaluate the evidence for shockwave therapy; to provide a Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) level of the evidence and effectiveness of shockwave therapy for patellar tendinopathy, Achilles tendinopathy, and Plantar fasciitis.
METHOD
Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (Medline), Embase, The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and China National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI) were searched to find relevant studies published before December 14, 2022.
RESULTS
Our study showed that for PT in the short term, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) or ESWT + eccentric exercise (EE) has a negligible effect on pain and function compared to a placebo or placebo + EE. On the contrary, ESWT significantly affects pain compared to conservative treatment (CT). For AT, ESWT has a small inconclusive effect on pain and function in the short term compared to EE. On the other hand, a placebo outperformed ESWT in improving function for AT but not pain outcomes. PF showed that ESWT significantly affects short- and long-term pain and function. When ESWT was compared to other interventions such as low laser therapy (LLLT), corticosteroid injection (CSI), or CT, there was a small inconclusive effect on pain and function in the short term.
CONCLUSION
There is low-moderate evidence that ESWT has a negligible effect on pain and function for PT and AT. However, high-quality evidence suggests ESWT has a large effect on pain and function for PF.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023396835, identifier CRD42023396835.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Achilles Tendon; Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy; Fasciitis, Plantar; High-Energy Shock Waves; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Tendinopathy
PubMed: 37662911
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1193835 -
Journal of Bodywork and Movement... Oct 2020Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of heel pain. A calf stretching (CS) and a plantar fascia-specific stretching (PFSS) are two stretching techniques... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of heel pain. A calf stretching (CS) and a plantar fascia-specific stretching (PFSS) are two stretching techniques commonly administered by health care providers.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the literature on the application of these two stretching techniques in the treatment of PF and investigate their effectiveness and efficacy.
METHOD
A search of PubMed, Web of Sciences, PEDro, CINHAL and Scopus was conducted. Studies that applied stretching as a co-intervention were excluded. The risk of bias was assessed to determine the internal validity of the included trials. The GRADE approach was adopted to determine the overall quality. Pooled analysis was performed to determine the treatment effects of CS and PFSS in terms of the mean difference in the visual analog scale pain score.
RESULTS
Eight articles were found that represented randomized controlled trial and met the inclusion criteria. There was very low-quality evidence that the combined CS and PFSS was less effective in the short term than the other therapies. Comparison between CS and PFSS revealed moderate quality evidence for a larger effect of pain score reduction for PFSS treatment over CS, while very low-quality evidence supported that combined CS and PFSS or CS alone was superior to sham stretching.
CONCLUSION
There was moderate to very low-quality evidence of the effectiveness of stretching for PF. The treatment effect of stretching was large and comparable to other therapies. Future trials of higher quality are needed to clarify findings or to confirm findings.
Topics: Exercise Therapy; Fascia; Fasciitis, Plantar; Foot; Humans; Muscle, Skeletal
PubMed: 33218515
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.06.013 -
Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and... Mar 2021Insertional Achilles tendinopathy is difficult to manage, and there is no definite consensus on which nonoperative treatment is superior over the others. We aim to...
BACKGROUND
Insertional Achilles tendinopathy is difficult to manage, and there is no definite consensus on which nonoperative treatment is superior over the others. We aim to provide a clear summary of the best available evidence for nonoperative treatment specific to insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
METHODS
Literatures were searched in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from inception to October 2020. The results were evaluated independently by two reviewers and assessed against the inclusion/exclusion criteria. All included articles were assessed for methodological quality, and study characteristics were extracted.
RESULTS
Twenty-three studies (containing 35 groups) were eligible for the final review. The treatments included eccentric training, extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT), injections, and combined treatment. Visual analog scale (VAS), Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles questionnaire, AOFAS, satisfaction rate, and other scales were used to assess the clinical outcome.
CONCLUSION
Current evidence for nonoperative treatment specific for insertional Achilles tendinopathy favors ESWT or the combined treatment of ESWT plus eccentric exercises.
Topics: Achilles Tendon; Combined Modality Therapy; Conservative Treatment; Exercise Therapy; Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy; Female; Humans; Male; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Tendinopathy; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33785026
DOI: 10.1186/s13018-021-02370-0 -
Scandinavian Journal of Medicine &... Feb 2023The Achilles tendon (AT) can be exposed to considerable stress during athletic activities and is often subject to pathologies such as tendinopathies. When designing a... (Review)
Review
The Achilles tendon (AT) can be exposed to considerable stress during athletic activities and is often subject to pathologies such as tendinopathies. When designing a prevention or rehabilitation protocol, mechanical loading is a key factor to consider. This implies being able to accurately determine the load applied to the AT when performing exercises that stress this tendon. A systematic review was performed to synthesize the load borne by the AT during exercises/activities. Three databases (Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane) were searched for articles up to May 2021, and only the studies assessing the AT load in newtons relative to body-weight (BW) on humans during activities or exercises were included. Most of the 11 included studies assessed AT load when running or walking (N = 10), and only three tested exercises were usually performed during rehabilitation. The load on the tendon ranged from 2.7 to 3.95 BW when walking, from 4.15 to 7.71 BW when running, and from 0.41 to 7.3 BW according to the strengthening exercise performed. From the collected data, a progression of exercises progressively loading the Achilles tendon, as well as the possible connections with walking and running activities, could be defined. However, the trends highlighted in the relationship between tendon loading and walking or running speeds present some inconsistencies. Further research is still needed to clarify them, but also to complete the data set in healthy and injured people.
Topics: Humans; Achilles Tendon; Exercise; Walking; Running; Exercise Therapy
PubMed: 36278501
DOI: 10.1111/sms.14242