Treatment
Treatment options for an Achilles tendon rupture include surgical and non-surgical approaches. Among the medical profession opinions are divided what is to be preferred.
Non-surgical management traditionally was selected for minor ruptures, less active patients, and those with medical conditions that prevent them from undergoing surgery. It traditionally consisted of restriction in a plaster cast for six to eight weeks with the foot pointed downwards (to oppose the ends of the ruptured tendon). But recent studies have produced superior results with much more rapid rehabilitation in fixed or hinged boots.
Some surgeons feel an early surgical repair of the tendon is beneficial. The surgical option was long thought to offer a significantly smaller risk of re-rupture compared to traditional non-operative management (5% vs 15%). Of course, surgery imposes higher relative risks of perioperative mortality and morbidity e.g. infection including MRSA, bleeding, deep vein thrombosis, lingering anesthesia effects, etc.
However, four recent studies have scientifically tested the benefits of surgery, using randomized streaming of patients into surgical and non-surgical protocols, and applying virtually identical (and aggressive) rehabilitation protocols to both types of patients. All four such studies completed to date have found only small, but statistically significant benefits from the surgery, separated from the other confounding variables. They have all produced reasonably comparable results in re-rupture rates (with each study adding a cautious note about small sample size, one study showing 12% re-rupture in non-surgical treatment vs 4% re-rupture in surgical, which is statistical insignificant), strength, and range of motion, while most have reaffirmed the greater complication rate from surgery. Two studies showed small, but statistically significant differences in plantarflexion strength. The surgical group had significantly better results in the heel-rise work, heel-rise height, concentric power, and hopping tests at the 6-month evaluation than did the nonsurgical group. However, at the 12-month evaluation, there was a significant between-groups difference only in the heel-rise work test.
Judging by the consistent results of these modern randomized trials, it is the opinion of some that the long-believed benefits of surgery, reinforced by virtually all studies done before 2007, were primarily artifacts of a selection bias, directing younger, healthier, and fitter patients to surgery, and the rest to non-surgical immobilization. Nonetheless, many "experts" continue to promote Achilles repair surgery, often citing older studies and statistics. However, this point remains a subject of debate, with even the authors of said studies cautious about the preferred treatment, stating that the rate of re-rupture in non-surgical treatment as something that might be deemed "clinically important". What seems to be most important to glean from each study is the importance of early mobilization, regardless of method of treatment.
Read more about this topic: Achilles Tendon Rupture
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—James Thurber (1894–1961)