Can we really say getting stronger makes your tendon feel better? No current evidence of a relationship between change in Achilles tendinopathy pain or disability and changes in Triceps Surae structure or function when completing rehabilitation: A systematic review
Publication Details
Murphy, M. C.,
Travers, M.,
Chivers, P. T.,
Debenham, J.,
Docking, S. I.,
Rio, E. K.,
Gibson, W.,
&
Ardern, C.
(2023).
Can we really say getting stronger makes your tendon feel better? No current evidence of a relationship between change in Achilles tendinopathy pain or disability and changes in Triceps Surae structure or function when completing rehabilitation: A systematic review.
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, Article in press.
Abstract
Objectives: Determine if improvements in pain and disability in patients with mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy relate to changes in muscle structure and function whilst completing exercise rehabilitation.
Design: A systematic review exploring the relationship between changes in pain/disability and muscle structure/function over time, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.
Methods: Six online databases and the grey literature were searched from database inception to 16th December 2022 whereas clinical trial registries were searched from database inception to 11th February 2020. We included clinical studies where participants received exercise rehabilitation (± placebo interventions) for mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy if pain/disability and Triceps Surae structure/function were measured. We calculated Cohen's d (95 % confidence intervals) for changes in muscle structure/function over time for individual studies. Data were not pooled due to heterogeneity. Study quality was assessed using a modified Newcastle–Ottawa Scale.
Results: Seventeen studies were included for synthesis. No studies reported the relationship between muscle structure/function and pain/disability changes. Twelve studies reported muscle structure/function outcome measures at baseline and at least one follow-up time-point. Three studies reported improvements in force output after treatment; eight studies demonstrated no change in structure or function; one study did not provide a variation measure, precluding within group change over time calculation. All studies were low quality.
Conclusions: No studies explored the relationship between changes in tendon pain and disability and changes in muscle structure and function. It is unclear whether current exercise-based rehabilitation protocols for mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy improve muscle structure or function.
Systematic review registration: PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42020149970).
Keywords
exercise, muscle, rehabilitation, tendon, pain
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