A 5-year follow-up study of Alfredson's heel-drop exercise programme in chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy

Background Eccentric exercises have the most evidence in conservative treatment of midportion Achilles tendinopathy. Although short-term studies show significant improvement, little is known of the long-term (>3 years) results. Aim To evaluate the 5-year outcome of patients with chronic midportio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of sports medicine 2012-03, Vol.46 (3), p.214-218
Main Authors: van der Plas, A, de Jonge, S, de Vos, R J, van der Heide, H J L, Verhaar, J A N, Weir, A, Tol, J L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achilles Tendon - injuries
Adult
Body mass index
Clinical trials
Exercise
Exercise Therapy - methods
Follow-Up Studies
Heel
Humans
Injury Severity Score
Middle Aged
Musculoskeletal Pain - etiology
Original
Pain
Patient Satisfaction
Physical fitness
Questionnaires
Researchers
Sports injuries
Sports medicine
Statistical analysis
Studies
Tendinopathy - diagnostic imaging
Tendinopathy - therapy
Tendons
Treatment Outcome
Ultrasonic imaging
Ultrasonography
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Summary:Background Eccentric exercises have the most evidence in conservative treatment of midportion Achilles tendinopathy. Although short-term studies show significant improvement, little is known of the long-term (>3 years) results. Aim To evaluate the 5-year outcome of patients with chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy treated with the classical Alfredson's heel-drop exercise programme. Study design Part of a 5-year follow-up of a previously conducted randomised controlled trial. Methods 58 patients (70 tendons) were approached 5 years after the start of the heel-drop exercise programme according to Alfredson. At baseline and at 5-year follow-up, the validated Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment–Achilles (VISA-A) questionnaire score, pain status, alternative treatments received and ultrasonographic neovascularisation score were recorded. Results In 46 patients (58 tendons), the VISA-A score significantly increased from 49.2 at baseline to 83.6 after 5 years (p
ISSN:0306-3674
1473-0480
DOI:10.1136/bjsports-2011-090035