101 patients with an acute Achilles tendon rupture were randomized to one of two groups: a surgical group, wherein surgical repair was performed and early weight-bearing was encouraged, or a non-surgical group, wherein patients were treated conservatively and early weight-bearing was also encouraged. The purpose of this study was to evaluate these two treatment methods with respect to functional outcomes. Results indicated that patients in the surgical group were not significantly different than the non-surgical group with respect to function, physical activity levels post-injury, quality of life, and the incidence of re-ruptures.