Assessing Activity Levels and Sleep using Wrist-worn Accelerometery Following Non-Surgically Managed Achilles Tendon Ruptures: A Cross-Sectional Study

In our study, we wanted to understand how people’s daily activity and sleep change after an Achilles tendon rupture, which is a common injury in the lower leg. We followed people who were treated without surgery for up to a year, asking them to wear a wrist activity tracker to record their movement and sleep.We found that people took fewer steps early after the injury, when they were wearing a protective brace. After the first few weeks, daily activity increased and stayed about the same for the rest of the year. However, vigorous exercise, such as running or sport, remained low even after 12 months, suggesting that full recovery takes time.We also found that sleep duration and quality stayed consistent throughout recovery. This means that while activity levels change during rehabilitation, sleep doesn’t seem to be affected by the injury or the bracing period.