81 patients with an acute Achilles tendon rupture were randomized to receive either surgical or non-surgical treatment to determine whether there were differences in symptomatic and functional long-term outcomes between the treatment methods. Following functional evaluations over a 24 month period, the results displayed that regardless of treatment type most of the patients with an Achilles tendon rupture had not fully recovered. Moreover, between 12 and 24 months, little improvement was observed, suggesting that improvement during the first year should be maximized as gains in subsequent years may be minimal.