Lee Herrington and Rebecca McCulloch
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different types of treatment on Achilles tendinopathy, one proposed to increase tensile strength of the tendon, the other a more traditional treatment used in a clinical setting. Twenty-five participants were randomly allocated to the eccentric group or the control group. The VISA-A questionnaire was used to determine outcomes and was administered to all participants at 0, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. All subjects significantly improved over the 12-week period (p=0.0001), but the eccentric group demonstrated significantly higher (p=0.014) VISA-A scores at 12 weeks. The authors conclude that the addition of a 12-week eccentric exercise programme to conventional treatment of ultrasound and deep transverse frictions is more effective in treating Achilles tendinopathy than conventional treatment alone.
Physical Therapy in Sport, 2007, online article ahead of print