Patient-reported Outcomes After Non-operative Treatment of Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture: a Prospective Cohort Study.

Background:

The achilles tendon is the most injured tendon in the lower extremity. An achilles tendon rupture (ATR) is treated either surgically or non-surgically. Previous studies have investigated early controlled motion and weight-bearing for non-surgically treated ATR. Early motion may cause tendon elongation, which leads to decrease in push off strength, and thus potentially a poorer functional outcome. Conversely, delayed initiation of mobilisation and weight-bearing may similarly hinder or delay optimal recovery of function and return to work and sports. The correct treatment and rehabilitation, including the timing of rehabilitation initiation, may therefore be crucial to ensure the patients' functional ability.

Most hospitals in Denmark treating patients with ATR, provide a regime of 8 weeks immobilization for conservatively treated patients with ATR. At Aarhus University Hospital (AUH), however, a more restrictive regime is provided for these patients, requiring immobilization for 11 weeks after injury. Typically, a late initiation of mobilization is defined as mobilization beginning in week 8, i.e. 3 weeks sooner than the standard regime at AUH. Furthermore, many "late" mobilization regimes allows for some non-weightbearing exercises prior to week 8, but at AUH patients are recommended to limit any movement during the first 11 weeks after injury. This is primarily to reduce the risk of a re-rupture, the rate of which is lower at AUH than on a national level (i.e. <5% versus 7-8% re-rupture rate). However, this delayed onset of mobilization and weight-bearing may have a negative effect on return to normal function, sports and work.

Since 2012, a number of Danish hospitals, treating patients with ATR, have reported re-rupture rates, and self-reported functional ability and working status, etc. is reported at 6, 12 and 24 months. This data are published in a report, enabling comparison with other populations. At present, AUH does not report these data into to the database, and the data published in the early report may therefore serve as comparison group in this quality assurance study.

Purpose: The aim of this quality assurance study is therefore to investigate to what extent the stricter regime at AUH following conservatively treated ATR affects the patients' functional ability after 6, 12 and 24 months after injury, compared to patients treated at other Danish hospitals with less strict regimes.