Achilles Tendon Rip-Stop SpeedBridge Repair

Achilles tendon injuries have been on the rise secondary to our increased participation in sports, increase in societal obesity rates, and the growing elderly population. There has been disagreement in recent years about whether to treat injuries such as Achilles tendon ruptures operatively or nonoperatively with aggressive functional rehabilitation. For those opting to surgically manage Achilles tendon ruptures, insertional Achilles tendonitis, or augment the described SpeedBridge Achilles tendon repair, we propose a modified rip-stop technique. The goal of this technique is to provide a biomechanical advantage to our current operative interventions for these injuries, a greater load-to-failure and a speedier, more reliable return to sport in our athletic populations.
Technique Video Video 1 Achilles tendon rip-stop SpeedBridge repair demonstrated on a cadaveric left foot and ankle from posteromedial and posteroinferior viewpoints. FiberWire stay sutures are placed distally and in close proximity to the FiberTape sutures to act as a rip-stop.