Tendinopathies are a major cause of disability in the athletic population; the main purpose of the treatment of these
injuries is to reduce
pain and improve function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of
NSAIDs on leg stiffness of patients suffering acute unilateral Achilles
tendinopathy. Twenty-eight eligible male athletes (aged 39.1 ± 10.3 y) suffering acute Achilles
tendinopathy were treated with
etoricoxib (120 mg oral once daily) during 7 days.
Pain (100-mm visual analogue scale-VAS),
analgesic effect (percentage of 100-mm VAS reduction), and leg stiffness were evaluated pre- and post- anti-inflammatory treatment. Results of this study showed that over the 7-day treatment period,
etoricoxib provided significant relief of Achilles tendon
pain (VAS) compared to that experienced at baseline: 54.5 ± 21.6 and 24.5 ± 24.8, respectively (p<0.001). Leg stiffness showed a significant improvement after one-week
NSAID therapy: LSR 0.89 ± 0.1 vs. 0.97 ± 0.1; (p=0.02). In conclusion, findings of this study demonstrated that patients suffering acute unilateral Achilles
tendinopathy increased their leg stiffness of the affected side after oral anti-inflammatory
therapy. Effective control of tendon
pain in the acute phase of such sports-related
injuries may contribute to improve capabilities associated with high performance like leg stiffness.