Achilles Tendinopathy: Some Aspects of Basic Science and Clinical Management
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239 REVIEW Br J Sports Med: first published as 10.1136/bjsm.36.4.239 on 1 August 2002. Downloaded from Achilles tendinopathy: some aspects of basic science and clinical management D Kader, A Saxena, T Movin, N Maffulli ............................................................................................................................. Br J Sports Med 2002;36:239–249 Achilles tendinopathy is prevalent and potentially and the outcomes of management protocols were incapacitating in athletes involved in running sports. It is carefully scrutinised. Case reports were excluded, unless they mentioned a specific association with a degenerative, not an inflammatory, condition. Most the condition that was thought to be relevant to patients respond to conservative measures if the the discussion. Only papers that made a signifi- condition is recognised early. Surgery usually involves cant contribution to the understanding of this condition were included in the review. This left a removal of adhesions and degenerated areas and total of 347 publications, of which 135 were decompression of the tendon by tenotomy or measures directly related to the topic of this review. that influence the local circulation. .......................................................................... ANATOMY OF THE ACHILLES TENDON The gastrocnemius muscle merges with the In the past three decades, the incidence of over- soleus to form the Achilles tendon in two use injury in sports has risen enormously,1 not different ways. In the more common type 1 junc- Ionly because of the greater participation in rec- tion, the two aponeuroses join 12 cm proximal to reational and competitive sporting activities, but their calcaneal insertion. In type 2, the gastrocne- mius aponeurosis inserts directly into the also as a result of the increased duration and 9 intensity of training.23 Excessive repetitive over- aponeurosis of the soleus. The Achilles tendon has a round upper part and is relatively flat in its load of the Achilles tendon is regarded as the 10 main pathological stimulus that leads to distal 4 cm. The fibres of the Achilles tendon are tendinopathy.4 Kvist2 reviewed 455 athletes with not vertical, but spiral 90°. This arrangement Achilles tendon problems. He found that 53% of increases the tendon elongation and helps the release during locomotion of the energy stored them were involved in running sports and 11% 11 12 were soccer players, emphasising the aetiological within the tendon. role of running. The rest of the patients were Unlike other tendons around the ankle, which have a synovial sheath, the Achilles tendon is involved in other sports in which running was an http://bjsm.bmj.com/ important training means. enveloped by a paratenon, a membrane consisting Achilles tendinopathy is not always associated of two layers: a deeper layer surrounding and in direct contact with the epitenon, and a superficial with excessive physical activity, and in a series of 13 14 58 Achilles tendinopathy patients, 31% did not layer, the peritenon, which is connected with participate in sports or vigorous physical the underlying layer through the mesotenon. The activity.5 Also, the use of quinolone antibiotics is paratenon originates from the deep fascia of the associated with Achilles tendinopathy and leg, the fascia cruris, covering the tendon posteri- 6–8 orly. Recently an organised thickening of the rupture. on October 5, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. In this review, we concentrate on tendinopathy paratenon has been described as the “watershed of the main body of the Achilles tendon. We shall band”, consisting of a thickened portion of the not deal with Haglund’s condition, insertional paratenon from the deep fascia of the posterior aspect of the leg to envelope the watershed region tendinopathy, or lesions of the myotendinous 15 junction. in the Achilles tendon. A microvascular perfusion study in the human Achilles tendon assessed by laser Doppler flow- metry showed that the blood flow was consider- See end of article for METHOD authors’ affiliations ably lower near the calcaneal insertion but other- A computerised literature search of the entire ....................... wise was distributed evenly in the tendon.16 Medline database, covering the years 1966 to the Further, blood flow in the symptomatic Achilles Correspondence to: present, was conducted for this review. Table 1 tendinopathy was considerably elevated com- Professor Maffulli, lists the keywords used in the search. All articles Department of Trauma and pared with the control tendons.17 relevant to the subject were retrieved, either Orthopaedic Surgery, Langberg et al18 measured blood flow in the locally or by interlibrary loan. The search was not Keele University School of peritendinous space of the human Achilles Medicine, North limited to the English literature, and articles in all tendon at rest and after 40 minutes of dynamic Staffordshire Hospital, journals were considered. The authors’ own Thornburrow Drive, contraction of the triceps surae. Blood flow in the personal collections of papers and any relevant Hartshill, Stoke on Trent, peritendinous space 5 cm proximal to its insertion Staffordshire ST4 7QB, UK; personal correspondence were also included. The [email protected] references selected were reviewed by the authors, Accepted and judged on their contribution to the body of ................................................. 18 January 2002 knowledge of this topic. The conduct and validity Abbreviations: MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; US, ....................... of any clinical studies was carefully considered, ultrasonography www.bjsportmed.com 240 Kader, Saxena, Movin, et al Br J Sports Med: first published as 10.1136/bjsm.36.4.239 on 1 August 2002. Downloaded from Table 1 Keywords used to search the Medline Table 2 Possible causes of Achilles tendinopathy database Possible causes of Achilles tendon rupture • Corticosteroids (intra-, peri-tendinous, oral) Keywords for main Medline literature search • Fluoroquinolone antibiotics Achilles tendon Extracellular matrix • Hyperthermia Athletic injuries Incidence Tendon • Mechanical Biomechanics Postoperative Tendon injuries complications Collagen Subheadings used for Medline literature search Abnormalities Physiopathology Tendinitis Magnetic resonance Tendinopathy Tendinosis the tendon is regained if the strain placed on it remains at less imaging Anatomy & histology Injuries Surgery than 4%. At strain levels greater than 8%, macroscopic rupture 25 34 35 Blood supply Innervation Transplantation will occur. Chemistry Metabolism Ultrasonography Cytology Pathology Ultrastructure CAUSES OF ACHILLES TENDINOPATHY Drug effects Physiology The causes of Achilles tendinopathy remain unclear.24Various theories link tendinopathies to overuse stresses, poor vascular- ity, lack of flexibility, genetic make up, sex, and endocrine or metabolic factors (table 2).36 Excessive loading of the tendon during vigorous training increased fourfold with exercise, while it increased only 2437 18 activities is regarded as the main pathological stimulus. 2.5-fold when measured 2 cm proximal to the insertion. The The Achilles tendon may respond to repetitive overload increase in blood flow during exercise probably results from beyond physiological threshold by either inflammation of its the considerable rise in the negative tissue pressure in the 19 sheath or degeneration of its body, or by a combination of the peritendinous space. two.38 Damage to the tendon can occur even if it is stressed within its physiological limits when the frequent cumulative 1 HISTOLOGY OF NORMAL ACHILLES TENDON microtrauma applied do not leave enough time for repair. Tenocytes and tenoblasts comprise 90–95% of the cellular ele- Microtrauma can result from non-uniform stress within the ments of the tendon. Chondrocytes, vascular cells, synovial Achilles tendon from different individual force contributions cells, and smooth muscle cells form the remaining cellular of the gastrocnemius and soleus, producing abnormal load elements. The extracellular tendon matrix is composed of col- concentrations within the tendon and frictional forces 39 lagen and elastin fibres, ground substance such as proteo- between the fibrils, with localised fibre damage. glycans, and organic components such as calcium.20 21 Tendinopathy has been attributed to a variety of intrinsic Collagen fibrils are bundled into fascicles containing blood, and extrinsic factors. Tendon vascularity, gastrocnemius- lymphatic vessels, and nerves,22 and have been shown to soleus dysfunction, age, sex, body weight and height, pes interchange between fascicles.23 The fascicles, which are cavus deformity, and lateral ankle instability are common surrounded by the endotenon, group together to form the intrinsic factors. Excessive motion of the hindfoot in the fron- gross structure of the tendon. The tendon is enveloped by a tal plane, especially a lateral heel strike with excessive well defined layer of connective tissue, the epitenon. This, in compensatory pronation, is thought to cause a “whipping its turn, is surrounded by the paratenon, with a thin layer of action” on the Achilles tendon, and predispose it to http://bjsm.bmj.com/ 40 fluid in between to reduce friction during tendon motion. The tendinopathy. Also, an appreciable forefoot varus has often 41 innermost layer of the epitenon is in direct contact with the been found in patients with Achilles tendon problems. endotenon. Perhaps for these reasons foot orthoses are advocated to con- trol