Abstract
Achilles tendinopathy in the main body (mid-portion) of the tendon is a common pathologic
finding among active and athletic populations and can be debilitating without proper
and adequate treatment. Numerous surgical approaches for this common pathologic finding
have been reported, with variable outcomes. We evaluated the surgical outcomes of
peritenolysis and debridement of main body Achilles tendinopathy among athletic populations
using the return to activity (RTA) and decreased desired activity (DDA) as our primary
outcome measures. A total of 100 patients underwent 107 procedures by the senior author
(A.S.) from January 2001 through December 2015 met the inclusion criteria, 65 (65%)
of whom were runners. The mean follow-up duration was 106.6 ± 55.5 months from the
index procedure, and the mean interval necessary to RTA for the entire group was 10.9 ± 5.3 weeks.
The average RTA after debridement was 14.1 ± 5.2 weeks and after peritenolysis was
7.3 ± 2.0 weeks (p = .00001). Of the 100 patients, 3 (3%) had experienced a DDA at the last follow-up
visit. With >97% of the patients able to return to their desired activities, we have
concluded that peritenolysis and debridement are favorable surgical techniques for
main body Achilles tendinopathy.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 31, 2017
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. All rights reserved.
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- Surgery for Tendinopathy of the Main Body of the Achilles Tendon: No Need to Look for New Solutions When the “Old Ones” Work, if Performed WellThe Journal of Foot and Ankle SurgeryVol. 56Issue 5
