Fatores psicológicos não estão associados a severidade da tendinopatia do tendão do calcâneo

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to study the association of psychological factors with the severity of pain and Achilles tendon dysfunction. Tendon pain is the main symptom of Achilles tendon tendinopathy, which is also characterized by edema and decreased performance. The persistence of this pain may be associated with other factors that should be considered in the therapeutic approach, such as psychological factors. The association of psychological factors with the severity of symptoms experienced by individuals with tendon pain is still uncertain and needs to be further investigated. These psychological factors may be associated with the severity of calcaneal pain, with clinical implications for this condition. To understand more about the subject, we conducted a cross-sectional study using an online form. In this form, the participants declared their consent to participate in the study through the Informed Consent Form. Then, the participants completed a questionnaire with personal data, eligibility criteria, anthropometric data and history of symptoms. In this questionnaire, the location of pain was selected through an image with a map of the ankle with numbered regions. After confirming the location and symptoms, the individuals declared the eligibility criteria through a checklist with the health conditions to be excluded. After this initial step, the outcome measures were collected. For each measure, we applied a validated scale. They are scale of catastrophic thoughts about pain, self-efficacy scale for chronic pain (AEDC), Tampa scale for kinesiophobia, hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD) and Victorian institute of sport assessment-Achilles questionnaire (VISA-A). We evaluated the relationship between psychological variables and the severity of pain and tendon dysfunction, and we saw that only self-efficacy was shown to have a significant association. However, this association was considered small. In addition, we also evaluated the relationship between psychological factors over time and found that no variable showed a significant association. We conclude that psychological factors are not associated with greater pain and dysfunction related to the Achilles tendon.