Validation and reliability of the Simple Achille Value (SAV) in Achilles tendon disorders.

Background: Achilles tendon (AT) disorders significantly impact patient life, necessitating accurate assessment tools. Current methods are often complex and time-consuming. This study aims to validate the Simple Ankle Value (SAV) for AT disorders.

Methods: A multicenter study was conducted involving 101 participants, including a surgical, a conservative, and a control group. Participants completed the SAV, VISA-A, and EFAS scores. The study assessed correlations among scores, reliability, responsiveness to change, threshold and ceiling effect and discriminative ability of the SAV.

Results: There was a significant strong correlation with the EFAS and a significant moderate to strong correlation with the VISA-A. The score showed excellent reliability (ρ = 0.95, 95 %CI: [0.913; 0.976], p < 0.001). Responsiveness to change was significant between preoperative and postoperative SAV (37.99 ± 25.73 vs 70.86 ± 21.26). The SAV discriminated between patient and controls with no threshold or ceiling effect.

Conclusion: The SAV provides a valid, reliable, and responsive method for assessing AT disorders. It offers a simplified and effective alternative to more complex scores.

Study Design: Cohort study (Diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.