Heal Thyself: Most who tear Achilles tendon can skip surgery

By MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) — New research suggests that surgery may not be needed for most Achilles tendon tears. Doctors have long been divided over whether it’s better to fix a torn Achilles tendon with surgery or just treat it with a brace and physical therapy. In the biggest-ever study investigating which treatment is best, scientists in Norway tracked 526 patients who had standard surgery, minimally invasive surgery, or no surgery. They reported Wednesday that they found only slight differences in how everyone had recovered about a year later, although there was a slightly higher chance of a re-injury in those who didn’t have surgery.