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. 2021 Sep 28;9:e12166. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12166

Table 10. Narrative reviews.

Author Year Location Subjective history Clinical tests
Nichols (1989) 1989 Not specified Location of pain (Distal 5 cm)
Tendon stiffness
Pain with tendon loading
Gradual onset of pain
Change in activity
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Reduced ROM
Hopping
Fredericson (1996) 1996 Insertional Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Location of pain (insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Benazzo, Todesca & Ceciliani (1997) 1997 Insertional Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Chazan (1998) 1998 Insertional Midportion Gradual onset of pain
Tendon stiffness
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Pain with passive dorsiflexion
Pain with resisted plantarflexion
Reduced ROM
Järvinen et al. (2001) 2001 Midportion Location of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Cook, Khan & Purdam (2002) 2002 Insertional Midportion Gradual onset of pain
Location of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Change in activity
VISA-A
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Single-leg heel raise
Hopping
Kader et al. (2002) 2002 Midportion Gradual onset of pain
Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Duration of symptoms
Tendon stiffness
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Painful Arc Sign
Maffulli & Kader (2002) 2002 Midportion Gradual onset of pain
Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Duration of symptoms
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Painful Arc Sign
Paavola et al. (2002) 2002 Midportion Pain with tendon loading
Duration of symptoms
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Alfredson (2003) 2003 Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Pain with tendon loading Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Aldridge (2004) 2004 Insertional Pain with tendon loading Pain on palpation
Pain with passive dorsiflexion
Maffulli, Sharma & Luscombe (2004) 2004 Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Sorosky et al. (2004) 2004 Not specified Gradual onset of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Change in training
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Pain with passive dorsiflexion Pain with resisted plantarflexion
Aronow (2005) 2005 Insertional Midportion Pain with tendon loading Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Pain with passive dorsiflexion (insertional)
Painful Arc Sign (midportion)
Single-leg Heel Raise
Bains & Porter (2006) 2006 Midportion Gradual onset of pain
Location of pain (2–5 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Tendon stiffness
Pain with tendon loading
Change in training
VISA-A
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Hopping on the spot
Forward hopping 6m hop test
Sharma & Maffulli (2006) 2006 Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Swelling
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Alfredson & Cook (2007) 2007 Midportion Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Localised swelling on palpation
Single-leg Heel Raise
Hopping on the spot
Forward hopping
Furia & Rompe (2007) 2007 Insertional Midportion Location of pain (2–5 cm above calcaneal insertion) - midportion
Location of pain (insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Pain with passive dorsiflexion (insertional)
Reduced ROM
McShane, Ostick & McCabe (2007) 2007 Midportion Location of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation Single-leg heel raise
Hu & Flemister (2008) 2008 Insertional Location of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation Pain with passive dorsiflexion
Reduced ROM
Silfverskiold test
Tan & Chan (2008) 2008 Midportion Location of pain (midportion)
Duration of pain (>2 weeks)
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Single-leg heel raise
Courville, Coe & Hecht (2009) 2009 Midportion Pain with tendon loading
Location of pain
Tendon stiffness
Change in activity
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Den Hartog (2009) 2009 Insertional Gradual onset of pain
Duration of symptoms
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Longo, Ronga & Maffulli (2009) 2009 Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Swelling
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Painful Arc Sign
Royal London Hospital Test
Simpson & Howard (2009) 2009 Midportion Location of pain (2–5 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Swelling
Change in activity
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Reduced flexibility in hamstring and calf
Irwin (2010) 2010 Insertional Location of pain (calcaneal tuberosity)
Swelling
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Scott, Huisman & Khan (2011) 2011 MIdportion Location of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Swelling
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Maffulli et al. (2012) 2012 Midportion Location of pain (4–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Swelling
Change in activity
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Reduced ROM
Maffulli, Giuseppe Longo & Denaro (2012) 2012 Not specified Gradual onset of pain
Tendon stiffness
Pain with tendon loading
Swelling
VISA-A
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Painful Arc Sign
Asplund & Best (2013) 2013 Insertional Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Location of pain (insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Maffulli, Via & Oliva (2014) 2014 Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Single-leg heel raise
Horn & McCollum (2015) 2015 Insertional Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Location of pain (insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Localised swelling on palpation
Painful Arc Sign
Royal London Hospital Test
Maffulli, Giai Via & Oliva (2015) 2015 Insertional Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Location of pain (insertion)
Swelling
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Saini et al. (2015) 2015 Insertional Midportion Location of pain (midportion)
Location of pain (insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Pain with dorsiflexion and plantarflexion
Chimenti et al. (2017) 2017 Insertional Location of pain (distal 2 cm)
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Pain with passive dorsiflexion
Pain with resisted plantarflexion
Reduced ROM
Feilmeier (2017) 2017 Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Swelling
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Change in activity
VISA-A
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Pain with passive dorsiflexion
Painful Arc Sign
Royal London Hospital Test
Single-leg Heel Raise
Hopping
Pedowitz & Beck (2017) 2017 Insertional Midportion Location of pain (2–6 cm above calcaneal insertion)
Location of pain (insertion)
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Single leg heel raise
Baskerville et al. (2018) 2018 Not specified Gradual onset of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Pain with passive and active movement Reduced strength
Bhatty, Khan & Zubairy (2019) 2019 Insertional Midportion Pain with tendon loading Pain on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Pain with passive dorsiflexion (insertional)
Pain with resisted plantarflexion
Reduced ROM
Maffulli et al. (2019) 2019 Insertional Location of pain (distal 2 cm)
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Jukes, Scott & Solan (2020) 2020 Insertional Midportion Location of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness Duration of symptoms
Pain on palpation
Localised tendon thickening on palpation
Localised swelling on palpation
Royal London Hospital Test
Silfverskiold test
Maffulli et al. (2020) 2020 Insertional Midportion Location of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Localised swelling
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Painful Arc Sign
Royal London Hospital Test
Millar et al. (2021) 2021 Not specified Location of pain
Pain with tendon loading
Tendon stiffness
Pain on palpation
Painful Arc Sign
Royal London Hospital Test
Single leg heel raise
Hopping

Note:

cm, centimetres; M, male; F, female; VISA-A, Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Achilles; ROM, range of motion; m, metres.