Management of Achilles tendon injuries: Current trends

Abstract

Introduction: Achilles tendon injuries have been on the increase worldwide, especially in the last two decades. The classification of the injury has not been explicit and the management protocols are confusing, especially with respect to specific injuries. There is a need to have a look at the current trends in the management of this common injury in order to create awareness and stimulate the need for standardization of the treatment protocols, possibly reaching a consensus. Materials and Methods: Information on the types of the injury, classification, and treatment modalities were obtained by searching the Pubmed, Medknow, Google Scholar, and other publications. These were collated and analyzed. Results: In most of the information on Achilles tendon injuries, these were inappropriately equated with Achilles tendon ruptures, which are actually supposed to be a subset. In the same vein, the diverse treatment options available were mainly those extensively used in ruptures. These procedures range from open surgery and minimal access surgery to close or conservative management followed closely with physiotherapy. Conclusion: There is a subtle misconception in the literature that we reviewed where Achilles tendon injuries were considered the same as Achilles tendon ruptures but this is not so. There are other injuries with different pathomechanisms and therefore, different managements. There is a need to include these other injuries and also broaden the management options. Minimal access surgery is preferred in ruptures.