Acupuncture for Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy Effectiveness

Change in pain over time as measured by the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment - Achilles Questionnaire (VISA-A)

The purpose of this study is to compare acupuncture plus a prescribed home exercise program
 versus a prescribed home exercise program alone to determine which has better outcomes at
 improving pain relief and physical function in adult patients with insertional Achilles
 tendinopathy.
 
 The investigators want to compare a combination of two standard of care treatments
 (acupuncture plus a prescribed home exercise program) versus a single standard of care
 treatment (a prescribed home exercise program) to determine which has better outcomes with
 improving pain relief and physical function in patients with insertional Achilles
 tendinopathy. The investigators hypothesize that there will be a significant improvement in
 pain and functional outcomes, both acutely and over time, in the acupuncture plus a
 prescribed home exercise program group versus the group performing a prescribed home exercise
 program alone. The investigators will measure Achilles pain relief and physical function
 immediately prior to treatment (baseline), immediately after the initial treatment at day 1,
 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks using the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment -
 Achilles Questionnaire (VISA-A). After 3 months, patients with continuing pain in the
 non-acupuncture arm will be given the option to crossover to the acupuncture arm of the study
 for an additional 12 weeks of treatment with the subject's concurrence.