Abstract
Achilles tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal disorder. Athletes, runners and jumpers, and the sedentary are frequently affected. Numerous are the therapeutic choices to manage these kinds of disorders. The aim of this review is to analyze the available literature to document the up-to-date evidence on conservative management of Achilles tendinopathy. A systematic review of two medical electronic databases was performed by three independent authors, using the following inclusion criteria: conservative treatment consisted of pharmacologic, physical therapy without operative treatment, with more of 6 months symptoms and a minimum average of 6-months follow-up. Studies of any level of evidence, reporting clinical results, and dealing with Achilles tendinopathy and conservative treatment were searched for. A total of n = 1228 articles were found. At the end of the first screening, following the previously described selection criteria, we selected n = 94 articles eligible for full-text reading. Ultimately, after full-text reading and a reference list check, we selected n = 29 articles. Achilles tendinopathy is a frequent musculoskeletal disorder and several conservative treatments have been proposed, but no therapy is universally accepted, except for eccentric exercise training, which is the gold standard and a commonly used protocol.
Highlights
Achilles tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal disorder [1]
A systematic review of two medical electronic databases was performed by three independent authors, using the following inclusion criteria: conservative treatment consisted of pharmacologic, physical therapy without operative treatment, with more of 6 months symptoms and a minimum average of 6-months follow-up
The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the last 10 years of available literature to document the up-to-date evidence on conservative treatment of chronic Achilles tendinopathy
Summary
Achilles tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal disorder [1] This pathology affects athletes, runners, and jumpers, and some patients between 30 and 55 years of age who do not participate in sports [2]. Extrinsic risk factors include the factors that could alter the course and the prognosis of the disease, for example drugs such as glucocorticoids, statins, and some antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones and aromatase inhibitors [5,6,7] Based on this assumption, functional overload could lead to a cumulative force on the tendon [10,11,12], while pronation and excessive supination can determine traction, because of incorrect neurological adaptations in the tendon and their further adjustments [10,11]. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the last 10 years of available literature to document the up-to-date evidence on conservative treatment of chronic Achilles tendinopathy
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