PMID- 36447250
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20221213
IS  - 2052-1847 (Print)
IS  - 2052-1847 (Electronic)
IS  - 2052-1847 (Linking)
VI  - 14
IP  - 1
DP  - 2022 Nov 29
TI  - The effect of combined Action Observation Therapy with eccentric exercises in the 
      treatment of mid-portion Achilles-tendinopathy: a feasibility pilot randomised 
      controlled trial.
PG  - 201
LID - 10.1186/s13102-022-00594-z [doi]
LID - 201
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mid-portion Achilles Tendinopathy (AT) is a common musculoskeletal 
      condition with varying rehabilitation success rates. Despite the prevalence of 
      this condition, a considerable proportion of individuals experience persisting 
      pain and functional deficits. Current treatment approaches bias the biomedical 
      model which emphasises physically treating and loading the tendon. Overall, there 
      is a lack of consideration for the central nervous system that is commonly 
      implicated in chronic injuries. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the 
      feasibility of combining Action Observation Therapy (AOT), a treatment technique 
      which targets central changes and influences motor learning, with eccentric 
      exercises in the treatment of mid-portion AT. AOT involves the observation of 
      movements and is commonly followed by the physical performance of these same 
      movements. METHODOLOGY: This was a double-blinded randomised controlled pilot 
      feasibility study. All participants underwent the 12-week Alfredson eccentric 
      training protocol. The intervention group watched videos of the exercises prior 
      to performing these exercises, whilst the control group watched nature videos 
      before performing the same exercises. Study feasibility was the primary outcome 
      measure, with the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment- Achilles (VISA-A) 
      selected as the primary clinical outcome measure. RESULTS: Thirty participants 
      were recruited, reflecting a 75% eligibility rate and 100% of eligible 
      participants enrolled in the study. The retention rate at week 12 was 80%. At 
      week six the mean VISA-A score improved by 18.1 (95% CI 10.2-26.0) in the 
      intervention group and 7.7 (95% CI 0.3-14.9) in the control group, and 75% and 
      33% of participants in the intervention and control group respectively exceeded 
      the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). At week 12 the mean VISA-A 
      score from baseline improved by 22.25 (95% CI 12.52-31.98) in the intervention 
      group and 16.5-(95% CI 8.47-24.53) in the control group, equating to 75% and 58% 
      in each group respectively exceeding the MCID. CONCLUSION: The positive 
      feasibility outcomes and exploratory data from the clinical outcome measures 
      suggest that a larger scaled RCT is warranted to further investigate the impact 
      of AOT in the rehabilitation of mid-portion AT. Trial registration 
      ISRCTN58161116, first registered on the 23/12/2020.
CI  - (c) 2022. The Author(s).
FAU - Ryan, Deirdre
AU  - Ryan D
AD  - UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, UCD, Dublin, 
      Ireland. deirdre.ryan2@ucdconnect.ie.
FAU - O'Donoghue, Grainne
AU  - O'Donoghue G
AD  - UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, UCD, Dublin, 
      Ireland.
FAU - Rio, Ebonie
AU  - Rio E
AD  - School of Allied Health, La Trobe University Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
FAU - Segurado, Ricardo
AU  - Segurado R
AD  - UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, UCD, Dublin, 
      Ireland.
FAU - O'Sullivan, Cliona
AU  - O'Sullivan C
AD  - UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, UCD, Dublin, 
      Ireland.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20221129
PL  - England
TA  - BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil
JT  - BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation
JID - 101605016
PMC - PMC9706872
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Action Observation Therapy
OT  - Chronic musculoskeletal conditions
OT  - Eccentric exercises
OT  - Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy
OT  - Mirror neurone system
OT  - Motor control
OT  - Neuroplasticity
OT  - Pain
OT  - Rehabilitation
COIS- The authors declare they have no competing interests.
EDAT- 2022/11/30 06:00
MHDA- 2022/11/30 06:01
PMCR- 2022/11/29
CRDT- 2022/11/29 23:58
PHST- 2022/02/22 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2022/11/18 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2022/11/29 23:58 [entrez]
PHST- 2022/11/30 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2022/11/30 06:01 [medline]
PHST- 2022/11/29 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.1186/s13102-022-00594-z [pii]
AID - 594 [pii]
AID - 10.1186/s13102-022-00594-z [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2022 Nov 29;14(1):201. doi: 
      10.1186/s13102-022-00594-z.