School of Podiatric Medicine - Medical Student Research
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Fall 9-2024
Abstract
Introduction: Achilles tendon ruptures are severe injuries that drastically affect the careers of athletes. These ruptures typically occur during matches, often due to dorsiflexion of the ankle during passes or when tackling. Professional athletes tend to have surgical repair quickly with the goal of returning to their sport as fast as possible.
Objective: To present a scoping review to identify the return to play (RTP) rates following Achilles tendon rupture and whether these athletes achieve functional outcomes comparable to their pre- operative conditions.
Methods: 2 databases were queried; Google Scholar and PubMed using the search terms "Achilles tendon rupture" AND "professional soccer player" and "Achilles Tendon rupture" AND "professional football player". We included national soccer teams in the United States and national football teams outside the US. We included partial and complete Achilles tendon ruptures. The search returned 660 articles. After removing duplicates, non-English, non-full text, and papers outside our 2004-2024 date range, three articles were included.
Results: There are 157 patients represented in the papers we included, playing for Major League Soccer, Union of European Football Associates, and five European soccer leagues. The rate of RTP in all studies was 82%. Fanchini reported an RTP of 27 weeks while Forlenza reported approximately 5 months. Forlenza and Trofa showed a significant reduction in play time after injured players returned from rehab. All studies stated that longer time away from competition decreased performance metrics amongst the players after injury when compared to uninjured players.
Discussion/Conclusion: This study shows professional soccer players with Achilles ruptures heal with minimal complications within approximately 5 months, however their on-field participation does not fully return to pre-injury levels. A limitation is the lack of detailed information regarding the specific surgical procedures performed, which could provide valuable insights into how different surgical techniques might influence the RTP time.
Recommended Citation
Mudasiru, Oyinkansola and Killeen, Amanda, "Return to Play Time after Achilles Tendon Rupture in Professional Soccer Players" (2024). School of Podiatric Medicine - Medical Student Research. 13.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/sopm_mspub/13
