Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40011018›Full record

Trial reportBritish journal of sports medicine2025

Effectiveness of reducing tendon compression in the rehabilitation of insertional Achilles tendinopathy: a randomised clinical trial.

Lauren Pringels, Robbe Capelleman, Aäron Van den Abeele, Arne Burssens, Guillaume Planckaert, Evi Wezenbeek, Luc Vanden Bossche

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in British journal of sports medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05456620 nacompletednot on this map

Effectiveness of Reducing Tendon Compression in the Treatment of Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy: a Randomised Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity Hospital, GhentRan2022 to 2024Enrolled42ConditionsInsertional Achilles TendinopathyArmsExercise therapy, Exercise therapy (usual care)
NCT07699497 naactive not recruitingnot on this map

Augmenting Standard Rehabilitation With Blood Flow Restriction for Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy: Randomized Clinical Control Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorAssiut UniversityRan2025 to 2026Enrolled80ConditionsAchilles Tendinopathy (AT)ArmsStandard-of-Care Rehabilitation Program for Chronic Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy, Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training Device
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Lauren PringelsDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium lauren.pringels@ugent.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2005-4984
Robbe CapellemanDepartment of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-2612-4196
Aäron Van den AbeeleDepartment of Sports Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
Arne BurssensDepartment of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8602-100X
Guillaume PlanckaertDepartment of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1589-0275
Evi Wezenbeek *Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9303-6915
Luc Vanden Bossche *Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the effectiveness of low tendon compression rehabilitation (LTCR) versus high tendon compression rehabilitation (HTCR) for treating patients with insertional Achilles tendinopathy.

methodsIn an investigator-blinded, stratified randomised trial, 42 sport-active patients (30 males and 12 females; age 45.8±8.2 years) with chronic (> 3 months) insertional Achilles tendinopathy were allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive LTCR or HTCR. Both rehabilitation protocols consisted of a progressive 4-stage tendon-loading programme, including isometric, isotonic, energy-storage and release and sport-specific exercises. The LTCR programme was designed to control Achilles tendon compression by limiting ankle dorsiflexion during exercise, eliminating calf stretching and incorporating heel lifts. The primary outcome was the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) score at 12 and 24 weeks, which measures tendon pain and function and was analysed on an intention-to-treat basis using a linear mixed model. Significance was accepted when p<0.05.

results20 patients were randomised to the LTCR group and 22 to the HTCR group. Improvement in VISA-A score was significantly greater for LTCR compared with HTCR after 12 weeks (LTCR=24.4; HTCR=12.2; mean between-group difference=12.9 (95% CI: 6.2 to 19.6); p<0.001) and after 24 weeks (LTCR=29.0; HTCR=19.3; mean between-group difference=10.4 (95% CI: 3.7 to 17.1); p<0.001). These differences exceeded the minimal clinically important difference of 10.

conclusionsIn sport-active patients with insertional Achilles tendinopathy, LTCR was more effective than HTCR in improving tendon pain and function at 12 and 24 weeks. Consequently, LTCR should be considered in the treatment of insertional Achilles tendinopathy. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT05456620).

Indexed as

Achilles TendonExercise TherapyTendinopathyAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSingle-Blind MethodTreatment OutcomeAchilles TendonExercise TherapyRehabilitationTendinopathy

Identifiers

PMID40011018
PMCPMC12171478

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.