Rehabilitation Programs After Achilles Tendon Rupture

Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

Status: Completed

Conditions: Rupture, Spontaneous; Rupture of Achilles Tendon; Immobility Response, Tonic

Treatments: Other: Traditional Immobilization; Other: Early Mobilization

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02308618

UFRGS - 2007882

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of early mobilization versus traditional immobilization rehabilitation programs after surgical Achilles tendon repair on the mechanical (torque-angle and torque-velocity relationships) and electrical (neuromuscular activation) properties of the plantar- and dorsiflexor muscles, gastrocnemius medialis morphology (muscle architecture), functional performance, and the mechanical and material properties (force-elongation and stress-strain relationships) of the injured and uninjured Achilles tendon.

The hypothesis is that the early mobilization could reduce the deleterious effects of the joint immobilization and improve the tendon healing.

Full description

Participants were allocated into one of two intervention groups (traditional immobilization or early mobilization).

Traditional immobilization group (45 days of plaster cast immobilization; after the immobilization period, subjects received instructions on how to perform a home-based exercise program)

Early mobilization (six weeks of physical therapy program; three times per week; one to two hours of exercises for regaining range of motion and muscular endurance)

Control group (subjects had no history of lower limb injury, and were matched in age and anthropometric measurements to subjects that performed physical rehabilitation and to subjects that remained immobilized.

Enrollment: 47 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 30 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Male
• Achilles tendon rupture

Exclusion criteria

• arterial insufficiency
• diabetes
• autoimmune disease
• patients who used systemic antibiotics or steroids or showed any other clinical contraindication to perform maximum voluntary contractions on a dynamometer.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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47 participants in 3 patient groups

Traditional Immobilization

Experimental group

Description:

45 days of plaster cast immobilization After the immobilization period, subjects received instructions on how to perform a home-based exercise program

Treatment:

Other: Traditional Immobilization

Early mobilization

Experimental group

Description:

Six weeks of physical therapy program

Treatment:

Other: Early Mobilization

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Subjects had no history of lower limb injury, and were matched in age and anthropometric measurements to subjects that performed physical rehabilitation and to subjects that remained immobilized.