Optimising Outcome for Achilles Tendinopathy: An Exploration into Cognitive and Contextual Factors
type: CreativeWork
description: Achilles tendinopathy is a debilitating condition for both active and sedentary people. Clinically it is characterised by a painful response felt in and around the tendon predominantly during tasks involving plantarflexion load; hopping for example. Whilst exercise appears to be a promising intervention for the condition, it remains unclear how exercise influences outcome. Hence, in order to optimise outcomes for our patients, further research is required to better understand factors which may influence exercise-led interventions. It is acknowledged that further research is required to understand the ‘specific’ influences of exercise, for example, the ideal exercise type, number of sets and repetitions remain uncertain. However, this thesis aimed to develop insight into optimising outcomes by considering factors not previously investigated in tendinopathy research; the ‘non-specific’ influences of psychological, cognitive and contextual variables. To achieve this insight, this thesis comprises a systematic review investigating the association of psychological variables and tendinopathy. Overall, the review’s findings were contradictory, suggesting the need to consider further factors which may underpin psychological variables. Consequently, a further narrative review was undertaken. This review considers how the cognitive and contextual factors of working alliance, adherence, self-efficacy and outcome expectation might interact with psychological variables and potentially influence outcome from exercise-led interventions for people with tendinopathy. This is then highlighted as an area in need of research. Developed from this series of reviews, this thesis reports the feasibility of a study utilising a bespoke online platform for data collection to investigate the association of working alliance, self-efficacy, adherence and outcome expectation with clinical outcome for people with Achilles tendinopathy. The feasibility study comprised of a multi-centre, longitudina…
abstract: Achilles tendinopathy is a debilitating condition for both active and sedentary people. Clinically it is characterised by a painful response felt in and around the tendon predominantly during tasks involving plantarflexion load; hopping for example. Whilst exercise appears to be a promising intervention for the condition, it remains unclear how exercise influences outcome. Hence, in order to optimise outcomes for our patients, further research is required to better understand factors which may influence exercise-led interventions. It is acknowledged that further research is required to understand the ‘specific’ influences of exercise, for example, the ideal exercise type, number of sets and repetitions remain uncertain. However, this thesis aimed to develop insight into optimising outcomes by considering factors not previously investigated in tendinopathy research; the ‘non-specific’ influences of psychological, cognitive and contextual variables. To achieve this insight, this thesis comprises a systematic review investigating the association of psychological variables and tendinopathy. Overall, the review’s findings were contradictory, suggesting the need to consider further factors which may underpin psychological variables. Consequently, a further narrative review was undertaken. This review considers how the cognitive and contextual factors of working alliance, adherence, self-efficacy and outcome expectation might interact with psychological variables and potentially influence outcome from exercise-led interventions for people with tendinopathy. This is then highlighted as an area in need of research. Developed from this series of reviews, this thesis reports the feasibility of a study utilising a bespoke online platform for data collection to investigate the association of working alliance, self-efficacy, adherence and outcome expectation with clinical outcome for people with Achilles tendinopathy. The feasibility study comprised of a multi-centre, longitudina…
author: Mallows, Adrian
language: en
keywords: RZ Other systems of medicine
date published: 2019-09
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:18:29Z
provider: University of Essex
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Essex