Return to Basketball for College and Professional Athletes After Surgical Repair of Achilles Tendon

Authors

Paul Bonilla, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Hunter M. Butler, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Aasim Ahmad, University of Arizona College of Medicine
Aamir Ahmad, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-31-2025

Abstract

Background: Basketball places extreme mechanical stress on an athlete’s body, leading to a variety of injuries within the sport. Achilles tendon (AT) ruptures have started to garner attention as the incidence of this season ending injury continues to increase [1]. AT ruptures have also been shown to have a higher prevalence in basketball compared to other sport populations. [2]. With the recovery time of AT ruptures being a minimum of 6 months, and data supporting a decrease in player performance and career longevity, it is important to understand the indicated pathophysiology behind the injury along with the surgical management options [2]. Objective: This article aims to investigate the return to basketball for collegiate and professional athletes after an achilles tendon rupture. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) online database. The search included the terms “achilles” and “return to play” to identify relevant studies assessing average time of return to play and the factors that can influence said time. Results: A total of 19 studies were reviewed, showing that 9-10 months was the average duration of return to play for professional basketball players following an achilles injury. Multiple publications show a player’s performance decrease following injury while one manuscript showed an improvement in performance for players, which could be attributed to the latter investigating collegiate players that are younger than professional basketball players. Conclusion: There is evidence that supports a reasonable expectation for athletes to return to play 10 months after an AT surgery. However, a variety of factors contribute to the ability of the individual athlete to return to play.

Comments

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Recommended Citation

Bonilla, P., Hunter Butler, A. A., & Ahmad, A. N. Return to Basketball for College and Professional Athletes After Surgical Repair of Achilles Tendon. Annals of Biomedical Research 5(2), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.61545/abr-5-129

Publication Title

Annals of Biomedical Research

DOI

10.61545/abr-5-129

Academic Level

medical student