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Evidence summaries

Interventions for Treating Acute and Chronic Achilles Tendinitis

NSAIDs may be of modest benefit for acute achilles tendinitis. There is insufficient evidence from randomised controlled trials to determine which method of treatment is the most appropriate for the treatment of acute or chronic Achilles tendinitis. Level of evidence: "C"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 [withdrawn from publication] included 9 studies with a total of 697 subjects. There was weak evidence from three trials of a modest benefit of NSAIDs for the alleviation of acute symptoms. There was some weak evidence of no difference compared with no treatment of low dose heparin, heel pads, topical laser therapy and peritendonous steroid injection.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by imprecise results (few patients and wide confidence intervals) and by indirectness (only short-term outcomes were reported).

    References

    • McLauchlan G, Handoll HH. WITHDRAWN: Interventions for treating acute and chronic Achilles tendinitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2011;(8):CD000232. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords