Comparative functional analysis of two different achilles tendon surgical repairs.

Abstract

A number of different surgical procedures have been developed to treat Achilles tendon injuries including open and mini-invasive type. The aim of the present work was to compare the functional outcome of two different techniques, applying a clinical and instrumented protocol. Fifty-one subjects were enrolled in the study. The experimental group consisted of 34 patients with a ruptured Achilles tendon, 19 operated by open surgical reconstruction without reinforcement (Open Group), while 15 underwent a mini-invasive procedure (Mini-invasive Group); the Control Group consisted of 17 healthy subjects. The assessment was based on the standing vertical jump, in both 'countermovement jump' and 'squat jump' mode, studying the relative flight times and the coordination of movement of each limb. An accelerometer was fastened to each ankle to obtain an independent assessment of the movement of each limb. The surgically treated patients showed a comparable functional performance to that of the Control Group but despite this full recovery they showed a tendency to ''favor'' the affected limb. This finding was more marked in the Mini-invasive Group. The Control Group invariably showed better coordination of the movement of the two limbs than the two experimental groups. This was particularly apparent in the take-off phase, indicated by asymmetrical push-off of the two limbs. The jumping evaluation used in this study resulted in similar results between the open and the mini-invasive techniques.