Achilles Recovery in Soccer – Best Practices for Regaining Full Speed
by Valeria Ruffo, and Jeffrey Hartman, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
NSCA Coach
December 2025
Vol 12, Issue 3
This article outlines the best practices for Achilles recovery in soccer and focuses on rehabilitation management strategies.
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This article originally appeared in NSCA Coach, a quarterly publication for NSCA Members that provides valuable takeaways for every level of strength and conditioning coach. You can find scientifically based articles specific to a wide variety of your athletes’ needs with Nutrition, Programming, and Youth columns. Read more articles from NSCA Coach »
REFERENCES
- Caldwell, JM, and Vosseller, JT. Maximizing return to sports after Achilles tendon rupture in athletes. Foot and Ankle Clinics 24(3): 439-445, 2019.
- Fanchini, M, Impellizzeri, FM, Silbernagel, KG, Combi, F, Benazzo, F, and Bizzini, M. Return to competition after an Achilles tendon rupture using both on and off the field load monitoring as guidance: A case report of a top-level soccer player. Physical Therapy in Sport 29: 70-78, 2018.
- Forlenza, EM, Lavoie-Gagne, OZ, Lu, Y, Diaz, CC, Chahla, J, and Forsythe, B. Return to play and player performance after Achilles tendon rupture in UEFA professional soccer players: A matched-cohort analysis of players from 1999 to 2018. The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 9(9): 23259671211024199, 2021.
- Kearney, RS, McGuinness, KR, Achten, J, and Costa, ML. A systematic review of early rehabilitation methods following a rupture of the Achilles tendon. Physiotherapy 98(1): 24-32, 2012.
- Ochen, Y, Beks, RB, van Heijl, M, Hietbrink, F, Leenen, LPH, van der Velde, D, et al. Operative treatment versus nonoperative treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures: Systematic review and meta-analysis. The BMJ 364: 5120, 2019.
- Strom, AC, and Casillas, MM. Achilles tendon rehabilitation. Foot and Ankle Clinics 14(4): 773-782, 2009.
- Trofa, DP, Noback, PC, Caldwell, J-ME, Miller, JC, Greisberg, JK, Ahmad, CS, and Vosseller, JT. Professional soccer players’ return to play and performance after operative repair of Achilles tendon rupture. The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 6(11): 2325967118810772, 2018.
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