The clinical diagnosis of Achilles tendinopathy: a scoping review

Comparability of the Effectiveness of Different Types of Exercise in the Treatment of Achilles Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review

Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a common condition both in athletes and the general population. The purpose of this study is to highlight the most effective form of exercise in managing pain-related symptoms and functional capacity as well as in a return to life activities, ensuring the quality of life of patients with AT, and creating a protocol to be used in rehabilitation. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature in Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, and PEDro for Randomised Controlled Trials concerning interventions that were based exclusively on exercise and delivered in patients 18-65 years old, athletes and non-athletes. An amount of 5235 research articles generated from our search. Five met our inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Research evidence supports the effectiveness of a progressive loading eccentric exercise program based on Alfredson's protocol, which could be modified in intensity and pace to fit the needs of each patient with AT. Future research may focus on the optimal dosage and load of exercise in eccentric training and confirm the effectiveness of other type of exercise, such as a combination of eccentric-concentric training or heavy slow resistance exercise. Pilates could be applied as an alternative, useful, and friendly tool in the rehabilitation of AT.

Smart Chemical Sensor and Biosensor Networks for Healthcare 4.0

Driven by technological advances from Industry 4.0, Healthcare 4.0 synthesizes medical sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, the Internet of things (IoT), machine learning, and augmented reality (AR) to transform the healthcare sector. Healthcare 4.0 creates a smart health network by connecting patients, medical devices, hospitals, clinics, medical suppliers, and other healthcare-related components. Body chemical sensor and biosensor networks (BSNs) provide the necessary platform for Healthcare 4.0 to collect various medical data from patients. BSN is the foundation of Healthcare 4.0 in raw data detection and information collecting. This paper proposes a BSN architecture with chemical sensors and biosensors to detect and communicate physiological measurements of human bodies. These measurement data help healthcare professionals to monitor patient vital signs and other medical conditions. The collected data facilitates disease diagnosis and injury detection at an early stage. Our work further formulates the problem of sensor deployment in BSNs as a mathematical model. This model includes parameter and constraint sets to describe patient body characteristics, BSN sensor features, as well as biomedical readout requirements. The proposed model's performance is evaluated by multiple sets of simulations on different parts of the human body. Simulations are designed to represent typical BSN applications in Healthcare 4.0. Simulation results demonstrate the impact of various biofactors and measurement time on sensor selections and readout performance.

The Effects of Increasing Trunk Flexion During Stair Ascent on the Rate and Magnitude of Achilles Tendon Force in Asymptomatic Females

Research indicates that increasing trunk flexion may optimize patellofemoral joint loading. However, this postural change could cause an excessive Achilles tendon force (ATF) and injury risk during movement. This study aimed to examine the effects of increasing trunk flexion during stair ascent on ATF, ankle biomechanics, and vertical ground reaction force in females. Twenty asymptomatic females (age: 23.4 [2.5] y; height: 1.6 [0.8] m; mass: 63.0 [12.2] kg) ascended stairs using their self-selected and flexed trunk postures. Compared with the self-selected trunk condition, decreases were observed for peak ATF (mean differences [MD] = 0.14 N/kg; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06 to 0.23; Cohen d = -1.2; P = .003), average rate of ATF development (MD = 0.25 N/kg/s; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.43; Cohen d = -0.9; P = .010), ankle plantar flexion moment (MD = 0.08 N·m/kg; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.13; Cohen d = -1.1; P = .005), and vertical ground reaction force (MD = 38.6 N/kg; 95% CI, 20.3 to 56.90; Cohen d = -1.8; P < .001). Increasing trunk flexion did not increase ATF. Instead, this postural change was associated with a decreased ATF rate and magnitude and may benefit individuals with painful Achilles tendinopathy.

Plantarflexor neuromuscular performance in Insertional Achilles tendinopathy

BACKGROUND

Insertional Achilles tendinopathy (IAT) is a common and painful musculoskeletal condition. The management of IAT commonly involves strengthening of the plantarflexors, although there is currently a paucity of research investigating plantarflexor neuromuscular performance specific to people with IAT.

OBJECTIVES

To compare plantarflexor neuromuscular performance between men with IAT and controls, and to investigate the relationship between plantarflexor neuromuscular performance and patient reported outcome measures for men with IAT.

DESIGN

Case control.

METHOD

34 men with IAT (age 43.7 years [SD 10.02], weight 89.6 kg [16.3]) were matched with 34 healthy men (age 42.8 years [SD 8.9], weight 87.2 kg [9.7]). Participants underwent a plantarflexion maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) task, and a target force matching task. Neuromuscular variables from these tasks include; MVIC, rate of torque development (RTD), electromechanical delay (EMD), and muscle force steadiness. Participants also completed questionnaires regarding; pain and function, and psychological factors.

RESULTS

The IAT group had reduced MVIC (p < 0.01) and RTD, (p < 0.01) compared to controls, however no significant difference in plantarflexor force steadiness (p = 0.08), or EMD (p = 0.71) was observed. Low strength correlations were detected between the VISA-A and RTD (r = 0.37, p = 0.04), kinesiophobia and EMD (r = 0.45, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

This study established impairments in plantarflexor strength and RTD among people with IAT. Plantarflexor force steadiness and EMD is not altered in IAT, which is in contrast to evidence from mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. Plantarflexor RTD was the only neuromuscular outcome measure linked to symptom severity, which may indicate it is an important rehabilitation finding.

An Isometric and Functionally Based 4-Stage Progressive Loading Program in Achilles Tendinopathy: A 12-Month Pilot Study

Background

Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a common musculoskeletal disorder, and its management remains challenging. Hypothesis/Purpose. By conducting a pilot study, we aimed to assess the feasibility, safety, and clinical improvement of a new home-based 4-stage rehabilitation program with progressive loading including isometric exercises on a small scale prior to setting up a randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Ten recreational athletes with chronic midportion AT were included. The primary outcome was change in VISA-A score after 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months. Secondary outcomes included tenderness on palpation of the tendon and ultrasonographic changes after 6 months.

Results

Average VISA-A improvements of 26.9 points (P=0.004) and 35.4 points (P=0.006) were observed at 6- and 12-month follow-up, respectively. Tenderness on palpation of the tendon (0-10) was reduced from 5.5 to 2.5 (P < 0.001). Color Doppler ultrasound activity (0-4) was reduced by 50%, from an average of grade 2 to grade 1 (P=0.023). The hypoechoic cross-sectional area of the Achilles tendon was reduced from an average of 29.1% to 8.5% (P=0.001). Tendon thickness showed no statistically significant change (P=0.415).

Conclusion

Following the 4-stage rehabilitation program for AT based on isometric training and progressive loading, we observed improvement in both VISA-A score and ultrasonography in a group of athletes who had previously failed to benefit from standard AT rehabilitation. The study was feasible in terms of high adherence to the program and with no observed safety issues. The results of this pilot study support a further assessment of this specific approach for rehabilitation in a future randomized controlled trial.