Reduced Achilles tendinopathy symptoms (e.g. stiffness), but not pain, relate to patient-perceived resolution of Achilles tendinopathy: a cross-sectional study

We aimed to determine whether pain, symptoms and/or physical function are associated with perceived recovery in people with current or resolved Achilles tendinopathy. We performed a cross-sectional cohort study, including people who reported having either "current" or "resolved" Achilles tendinopathy. Participants completed an online survey, including the Tendinopathy Severity Assessment- Achilles (TENDINS-A). We used multivariable binary logistic regression and reported odds ratio (OR) to quantify the strength of the association. We included 100 cases (<i>n</i> = 63 current, <i>n</i> = 37 resolved). There were no associations of age, sex, BMI, TENDINS-A (Pain) or TENDINS-A (Physical Function) with whether participants reported having current or resolved Achilles tendinopathy. However, for every 1% greater the TENDINS-A (Symptoms) there was 0.28 lower odds of a participant reporting their tendinopathy has resolved (OR = 0.972, 95% CI = 0.953 to 0.992, <i>p</i> = 0.007). We demonstrated a lower "symptom" severity but not "pain" severity was associated with greater patient-reported resolution of Achilles tendinopathy.