Early Short-Term Recovery of Single-Leg Heel Rise and ATRS After Achilles Tenorrhaphy: Cluster Analysis

Background: An early recovery of Achilles Tendon Rupture Score (ATRS) and single-leg heel raises after Achilles rupture is a desirable aim to favor the sport return, but is unknown if the patient’ outcomes could be defined only by the kind of treatment. Objectives: To determine the number of clusters obtained based on ATRS and number of repetitions of single-leg heel rises after 12-weeks of Achilles tenorrhaphy in patients treated with either immediate or traditional rehabilitation treatment, compare the identified clusters of short-term recovery of single-leg by heel rise repetitions and ATRS, compare the proportion of treatment and heel rise ability contained into the clusters, and compare the dimension of the ATRS between clusters. Methods: Twenty-four patients (43.1 ± 8.2 years-old, BMI 29.2 ± 3.9 kg/m2) treated with immediate or traditional rehabilitation were included. The single-leg heel rise repetitions, the single-leg heel rise ability/disability and ATRS patient-reported outcomes were evaluated 12 weeks after Achilles tenorrhaphy. Results: The first cluster had high repetitions in heel rise and ATRS, principally treated by immediate rehabilitation. The second cluster had low repetitions in heel rise and ATRS, principally treated by traditional rehabilitation. The third cluster had the highest repetitions in heel rise but lower ATRS, treated only by immediate rehabilitation. Conclusions: An early recovery of the heel rise capacity could be achieved after Achilles tenorrhaphy and it is more probable to achieve an faster treatment.