Improving Recovery After Achilles Tendon Surgery Using Blood Flow Restriction Training Compared to Standard Rehabilitation

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating whether adding blood flow restriction BFR therapy to conventional rehabilitation improves recovery for adult patients who have undergone surgical repair for Achilles tendon rupture. The study aims to find out if BFR enhances functional recovery, muscle strength, and tendon healing compared to standard rehabilitation methods. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups starting four weeks after surgery one group will follow a 24-week standard strength training program, and the other will follow the same program combined with BFR using an occlusion cuff during exercises targeting the quadriceps and calf muscles. The control group will perform the same exercises without the cuff. Throughout the study, participants will attend follow-up visits at weeks 4, 8, 12, 18, 24, and 52. Assessments will include questionnaires about pain, quality of life, fear of movement, and return to sport, as well as medical imaging like ultrasound, MRI, shear wave elastography, and power Doppler. Muscle strength testing and blood samples will also be collected, along with tendon tissue taken during surgery. The main outcome measured is the Achilles tendon rupture score ATRS over six months and at one year post-operation.

Optimizing Rehabilitation After Achilles Tendon Rupture Repair: The Role of Blood Flow Restriction Training in Tendon and Muscle Recovery