Introduction:

The Achilles tendon (AT) is the strongest, largest, and most commonly ruptured tendon in the human body.

Aim of the research:

The long-term evaluation of the possibility of returning to amateur sports activity after injury and surgical treatment of the Achilles tendon.

Material and methods:

102 patients were analyzed. The mean observation time was 81 months (SD 26.45) . Among amateur sports, during which the AT was injured, the most frequent was football – 43.1%, then volleyball – 10.8% and badminton – 7.8%. All the patients underwent surgery within 72 h from rupture. The study was based on functional scales – American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Score (AOFAS), Takakura, Kofoed, HAQ (The Health Assessment Questionnaire) quality of life scale, VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) pain rating scale and structural assessment using ultrasound. The control group was a non-injured contralateral limb.

Results:

Results of the assessment were as follows: AOFAS – mean 93.79 points (SD 6.06), Kofoed – mean 94.81 points (SD 7.44) and Takakura – mean 95.05 points (SD 7.62). In all of them a statistically significantly lower score compared with contralateral side was noted (p < 0.001). A statistically significant (p = 0.002) reduction in the calf circumference of the operated limb was found. The ultrasound examination performed after the surgery revealed statistically significant disturbances in the architecture of the fibers (p < 0.001). A functional deficit of 3–5% compared with the non-injured limb was found.

Conclusions:

In the long-term observation period, it can be concluded that the surgical treatment of the Achilles Tendon Rupture does not limit amateur sports activities and allows to return to the previous level of advancement.