Acupuncture‐Integrated Chinese‐Western Medicine Accelerated Rehabilitation Protocol Following Acute Achilles Tendon Repair: A Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: Postoperative pain and swelling often impede early rehabilitation after Achilles tendon repair. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of an acupuncture-integrated Chinese-Western medicine accelerated rehabilitation protocol following acute Achilles tendon rupture repair. METHODS: test, or Fisher's exact test as appropriate, with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: Compared with the TR group and the SA group, the AR group had lower VAS scores on the 4th day (p < 0.001) and 1 week (p < 0.001) postoperatively, and more obvious reduction of limb swelling on the 4th day (p < 0.001) and 1 week (p < 0.001) postoperatively. At 12 weeks postoperatively, the AR group showed higher OHRH (p < 0.001) and longer OHRT (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in ATRS scores, AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scores, and HWAC among the three groups at 12 weeks postoperatively. CONCLUSION: The early adoption of the acupuncture-integrated accelerated rehabilitation strategy after acute Achilles tendon rupture repair can effectively reduce pain and accelerate the resolution of swelling within 1 week after surgery, which facilitates early functional mobilization for patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05957614 (https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov/, registered 15 July 2023).