Short Leg Cast in Treatment of Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture

Abstract：Objective To explore the feasibility of short leg cast in treatment of the acute Achilles tendon rupture repair operation.Methods The tension of Achilles tendon was detected,when the ankle was immobilized at extreme plantar flexion and the knee was immobilized at several different angles. The force of gastrocnemius muscle and biceps flexor cruris were meas-ured;building the model of acute Achilles tendon rupture. The affected extremities were immobilized with short leg cast or long leg cast. After 3 weeks,the force of gastrocnemius muscle and biceps flexor cruris were measured again,and healing levels of Achilles tendon were observed through histopathological analysis.Results When the ankle was immobilized at extreme plantar flexion,the tension of Achilles tendon was irrelevant with the angle of knee;the force of gastrocnemius muscle significantly de-creased after short leg cast or long leg cast fixing,while the group of long leg cast more significantly compared with short leg cast. The force of biceps flexor cruris significantly decreased in the group of long leg cast,not in the group of short leg cast. In themeantime,the healing levels were close to each other in both groups.Conclusion It is feasible to use short leg cast on the the acute Achilles tendon rupture repair operation,not effecting the its healing level.