Author(s): JIN, C., ZHANG, L., DING, J., Institution: NATIONAL SPORT TRAINING CENTRE, Country: CHINA, Abstract-ID: 142

INTRODUCTION:
Acute closed Achilles tendon rupture(ACATR) is defined as less than 2 weeks of injury with intact skin on the affected side.With the development of economy and sports, the incidence of acute closed Achilles tendon rupture in different populations ranges from 0.007%-0.04% and shows an increasing trend.To explore the effect of fast functional rehabilitation combined with percutaneous minimally invasive suture treatment for acute closed Achilles tendon rupture (ACATR) through 2-year follow-up study.
METHODS:
We collected 67 patients with acute closed Achilles tendon rupture who were operated in our hospital from June 2017 to December 2019 and selected 32 eligible patients to follow up for 2 years. They were divided into early accelerated functional rehabilitation group(EAFRG) and traditional functional rehabilitation group(TFRG). There were 15 males and 2 females in the EAFRG, 13 males and 2 females in the TFRG. The patients were followed up in the 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months after operation. AOFAS Ankle Hindfoot Scale(AOFAS) and Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score(ATRs) scores and the muscle strength recovery rate (MSR) were used as follow-up evaluation.
RESULTS:
No incision-related complications or Achilles tendon rupture re-occurrence in both two groups. ATRS scores and AOFAS scores of the EAFRG were higher than those of the TFRG in the 6th and 12th month after surgery, respectively (P<0.05), while no statistical significance in the 24th month when compared the two groups (P>0.05). In the EAFRG, the scores attained in the 12th month were higher when compared with those attained in the 6th month (P<0.05), lower when compared with those assessed in the 24th month (P<0.05). In the TFRG, the scores attained in the 24th month were higher than those assessed in the 12th month (P<0.05), while no statistical significance between the 6th month and the 12th month after surgery (P>0.05). The rate of muscle strength recovery was higher in the EAFRG in the 12th month after sugery (P<0.05), while no statistical significance between the two groups in the 24th month (P>0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Percutaneous minimally invasive suture combined with early accelerated functional rehabilitation in treating the acute closed Achilles tendon rupture can accelerate the Achilles tendon function recovery without increasing the incidence of complications.