TY - JOUR T1 - One-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial on added splinting to eccentric exercises in chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy JF - British Journal of Sports Medicine JO - Br J Sports Med SP - 673 LP - 677 DO - 10.1136/bjsm.2008.052142 VL - 44 IS - 9 AU - S de Jonge AU - R J de Vos AU - H T M Van Schie AU - J A N Verhaar AU - A Weir AU - J L Tol Y1 - 2010/07/01 UR - http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/9/673.abstract N2 - Objective The study examined whether the addition of a night splint to eccentric exercises is beneficial for functional outcome in chronic midportion Achilles tendinopathy. Design One-year follow-up of a randomised controlled single blinded clinical trial. Setting Sports medicine department in a general hospital. Patients 58 patients (70 tendons) were included. Interventions All patients completed a 12-week heavy load eccentric training programme. One group received a night splint in addition to eccentric exercises. Main outcome measurements Outcome scores were: Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment—Achilles (VISAA) score, subjective patient satisfaction and neovascularisation score measured with power Doppler ultrasonography (PDU). Results For both groups the VISA-A score increased significantly (from 50 to 76 (p<0.01) in the eccentric group and from 49 to 78 (p<0.01) in the night splint group). No significant differences in the VISA-A score were found between the groups from baseline to one year (p = 0.32). The presence of neovessels at baseline did not predict a change in the VISA-A score after one year in the whole group (p = 0.71). Conclusion Eccentric exercises with or without a night splint improved functional outcome at one year follow-up. At follow-up there was no significant difference in clinical outcome when a night splint was used in addition to an eccentric exercise programme. Between 3 months and one year follow-up, a continuing increase in the VISA-A score was found. Assessment of the neovascularisation score with PDU at baseline has no prognostic value on long-term clinical outcome. ER -