Acute Achilles tendon rupture: minimally invasive surgery versus nonoperative treatment with immediate full weightbearing--a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Surgical repair of acute Achilles tendon ruptures is considered superior to nonoperative treatment, but complications other than rerupture range up to 34%. Nonoperative treatment by functional bracing seems a promising alternative.

Hypothesis: Nonoperative treatment of acute Achilles tendon rupture with functional bracing reduces the number of complications compared with surgical treatment with a minimally invasive technique.