Background: A number of different surgical procedures have been developed to treat Achilles tendon injuries, of both open and mini-invasive type. Aim of the present work was to compare the functional outcome of two different techniques, applying a clinical-instrumental protocol. Materials and methods: Fifty-one subjects were enrolled in the study. The experimental group consisted of 34 patients with a ruptured Achilles tendon, 19 operated by open surgical reconstruction without reinforcement (Open Group), while 15 underwent a mini-invasive procedure (Mini-invasive Group); the Control Group consisted of 17 healthy subjects. The assessment was based on the standing vertical jump, in both countermovement jump and squat jump mode, studying the relative flight times and the coordination of movement of each limb. An accelerometer was fastened to each ankle to obtain an independent assessment of the movement of each limb. Results: the patients showed a comparable functional performance to that of the Control Group but despite this full recovery they showed an evident tendency to “favor” the affected limb. This finding was more marked in the Mini-invasive Group. The Control Group invariably showed a better coordination of the movement of the two limbs than the two experimental groups. This was particularly apparent in the take-off phase, indicating an asymmetrical push-off of the two limbs. Conclusion: The proposed method of jumping evaluation allowed to verify similar results between the open and the mini-invasive techniques.
Comparative Functional Analysis of two Different Achilles Tendon Surgical Repair Procedures
QUAGLIARELLA, Livio;NOTARNICOLA, ANGELA;MORETTI, Biagio
2010-01-01
Abstract
Background: A number of different surgical procedures have been developed to treat Achilles tendon injuries, of both open and mini-invasive type. Aim of the present work was to compare the functional outcome of two different techniques, applying a clinical-instrumental protocol. Materials and methods: Fifty-one subjects were enrolled in the study. The experimental group consisted of 34 patients with a ruptured Achilles tendon, 19 operated by open surgical reconstruction without reinforcement (Open Group), while 15 underwent a mini-invasive procedure (Mini-invasive Group); the Control Group consisted of 17 healthy subjects. The assessment was based on the standing vertical jump, in both countermovement jump and squat jump mode, studying the relative flight times and the coordination of movement of each limb. An accelerometer was fastened to each ankle to obtain an independent assessment of the movement of each limb. Results: the patients showed a comparable functional performance to that of the Control Group but despite this full recovery they showed an evident tendency to “favor” the affected limb. This finding was more marked in the Mini-invasive Group. The Control Group invariably showed a better coordination of the movement of the two limbs than the two experimental groups. This was particularly apparent in the take-off phase, indicating an asymmetrical push-off of the two limbs. Conclusion: The proposed method of jumping evaluation allowed to verify similar results between the open and the mini-invasive techniques.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
