Objective: To review the progress in the treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture.
Methods: Recent literature about the treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture was reviewed and analyzed.
Results: Treatments of acute Achilles tendon rupture include operative and non-operative treatments. Operative treatments include open surgery and percutaneous minimally invasive surgery. Compared with non-operative treatment, operative treatment can effectively reduce the re-rupture incidence, but it had higher complication incidences of wound infection and nerve injury. Although early functional rehabilitation during non-operative treatment could reduce the re-rutpture incidence, there is no consistent orthopaedic device and guideline for functional rehabilitation.
Conclusion: Both operative and non-operative treatments have advantages and disadvantages for the treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture. No consistent conclusion is arrived regarding functional recovery. Future studies should explore the strategy of early functional rehabilitation during non-operative treatment and its mechanism of promoting tendon healing.