Novel Interventions for Recalcitrant Achilles Tendinopathy: Benefits Seen Following High-Volume Image-Guided Injection or Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy-A Prospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the outcomes for patients with chronic noninsertional Achilles tendinopathy following extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and high-volume image-guided injection (HVIGI).

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Hospital-based Sports Medicine Outpatient Clinic.

PATIENTS

Sixty-three consecutive patients with chronic noninsertional Achilles tendinopathy, treated with ESWT (n = 22) or HVIGI (n = 41), with minimum 3-month follow-up. Mean age was 51.2 years, and mean duration of symptoms was 27.8 months.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients received either 3 sessions of ESWT (1 session per week) or a single ultrasound-guided HVIGI (10 mL of 1% lidocaine and 40 mLs of sterile saline). All patients received standardized aftercare, including continuation of a structured home exercise program of flexibility and eccentric strengthening exercises.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Zero to 10 visual analog scale (VAS) for self-reported "average pain" and "average stiffness" values. In addition, Victoria Institute of Sport-Achilles questionnaire, (VISA-A), and Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ).

RESULTS

This study demonstrated statistically significant improvements in self-reported measures of pain and stiffness following either procedure. At 3 months, VAS (pain) was improved from 6.74 ± 1.31 to 3.57 ± 2.37 (P < 0.001) following HVIGI and from 6.57 ± 1.61 to 4.35 ± 2.55 (P = 0.002) following ESWT. At 3 months, VISA-A improved from 35% ± 17% to 51% ± 22% (P < 0.001) following HVIGI and from 34% ± 15% to 49% ± 15% (P < 0.001) following ESWT. Statistically significant improvements were only recorded at 6 weeks for ESWT and at 3 months for HVIGI using MOXFQ. No statistically significant differences were seen between the groups at any period studied.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients improved to statistically significant extent following either a HVIGI or ESWT procedure, with no significant differences seen between the groups. The small sample sizes in this pragmatic study are noted, which limit interpretation, and larger more robust studies are required to investigate this further.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This pragmatic prospective cohort study demonstrates improvements following either ESWT or HVIGI procedures, with no significant differences seen between the groups.