Supervised Physiotherapy Improves Three-Dimensional (3D) Gait Parameters in Patients after Surgical Suturing of the Achilles Tendon Using an Open Method (SSATOM)

Andrzej Czamara; Łukasz Sikorski

doi:10.3390/jcm11123335

Supervised Physiotherapy Improves Three-Dimensional (3D) Gait Parameters in Patients after Surgical Suturing of the Achilles Tendon Using an Open Method (SSATOM)

J Clin Med. 2022 Jun 10;11(12):3335. doi: 10.3390/jcm11123335.

Authors

Andrzej Czamara¹, Łukasz Sikorski^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiotherapy, The College of Physiotherapy in Wrocław, 50-038 Wrocław, Poland.
² Center of Rehabilitation and Medical Education in Wrocław, 50-038 Wrocław, Poland.

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of 38 supervised postoperative physiotherapy (SVPh) visits conducted between 1 and 20 weeks after SSATOM on the values of 3D gait parameters measured at 10 and 20 weeks after surgery.

Material: Group I comprised male patients (n = 22) after SSATOM (SVPh x = 38 visits) and Group II comprised male patients (n = 22) from the control group.

Methods: A non-randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial was performed in the two groups to obtain the following values: Step length (cm), stride length (cm), step width (cm), next stance phase (%), swing phase (%), double support (%), gait velocity (m/s), and walking frequency (step/min). The measurements were carried out using the BTS SMART system (Italy).

Results: Orthopedic examination showed no pain, a negative result of Thompson and Matles tests, and proper healing of Achilles tendon (ultrasound image). In Group I, between 10 and 20 weeks after SSATOM, there was a statistically significant improvement in all tested gait parameter values (p ≤ 0.001 to 0.009).

Conclusions: Conducting 38 SVPh visits significantly improved the values of the analyzed kinematic and spatiotemporal gait parameters in patients in the twentieth week after SSATOM, which were mostly close to the non-operated side and the results of the control group. However, the gait speed and stride length were not close to the results of the control group.

Keywords: Achilles tendon; ankle joint; kinematics; rehabilitation; spatiotemporal analysis; three-dimensional; walking.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding. All of the expenses of the research were covered by the Center of Rehabilitation and Medical Education in Wroclaw, Poland and by the College of Physiotherapy in Wroclaw, Poland, where the studies were conducted as part of their research. The other institutions or companies and our institutions did not influence the obtained results.