Achilles tendon ruptures are common injuries among adults that can cause substantial pain and disability. While prior studies have reported on return-to-play rates in athletes, limited data exist regarding functional outcomes within a military population.

A retrospective analysis of data from 2014–2020 from outpatient Military Health System Medical Data Repository and Physical Readiness Information Management System. The study included 1057 Navy personnel who had Achilles tendon rupture and operative repair. Service members had cardiovascular physical readiness test assessments from before and after surgery. Cardiovascular test split into 4 subgroups: those who biked before and after Achilles tendon rupture (35% [156 of 451]), those who ran (28% [127]), those who ran before Achilles tendon rupture but transitioned to another activity (32% [144]), and those who performed an alternative test (5% [24]). The study cohort was predominantly male (94.4%) with a mean age of 33 years.

Individuals performed worse on their physical readiness tests after Achilles tendon rupture compared to preinjury scores for the biking subgroup (10 seconds; P = 0.02) and the running subgroup (41 seconds; P < 0.001). Eighty-five percent (132 of 156) maintained or improved their physical readiness scores after Achilles tendon rupture for the biking subgroup, in contrast to 74% (106 of 144) for the run-to-another subgroup and 69% (88 of 127) for the running subgroup. There were between 0% (0) and 1.5% (2) physical readiness test failures after Achilles tendon repair.

These findings can help surgeons counsel active individuals. Runners undergoing Achilles tendon repair may run more slowly (approximately 41 seconds on a 1.5-mile run); however, this tends to improve over time.

Source: Vitha A, Robinson M, MacGregor A, Janney C. Return to running after achilles tendon repair: how do us navy service members’ physical readiness tests change after undergoing an achilles tendon repair? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2025 1;483(11):2012-2018. doi: 10.1097/CORR.0000000000003590.