Association of Functional Measures to Injury Severity in Runners with Achilles Tendinopathy- PM&R Journal

l Pham, l gaudette, m funk, k vogel, m bruneau, k silbernagel, j tam, a tenforde

Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a prevalent running-related injury affecting up to 52% of runners over their lifetime [1]. Tendinopathy represents a failed healing response from an injury to tendon that results in pain, stiffness, loss of function and limits physical activity [2,3]. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are used to understand impairments from injury and monitor healing. AT symptom severity is commonly assessed using the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles questionnaire (VISA-A) [4]. However, experts propose the need to develop more comprehensive models to understand tendinopathy and characterize factors beyond pain, including psychological manifestations, anxiety, depression, pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia [3]. The University of Wisconsin Running and Recovery Index (UWRI) and Patient Reported Outcomes Measurements Information System (PROMIS-29) have each been described to measure impact of injury on runners and health features in the general population, respectively [5,6]. To date, research has not described the association of VISA-A with UWRI or sub-domains of PROMIS measures to understand interactions or unique features that may help understand overall impairments in populations with AT. We hypothesize that VISA-A will be associated with UWRI and physical function measures from PROMIS-29. We also expect measures from PROMIS-29 such as anxiety and depression will not be associated with VISA-A and may be present in a subset of this population.

Pham L, Gaudette LW, Funk MM, et al. Association of functional measures to injury severity in runners with Achilles tendinopathy. PM&R. 2025; 17(6): 726-729. doi:10.1002/pmrj.13314