Both open and percutaneous surgeries are successful. More than 80 out of 100 people who have surgery for an Achilles tendon rupture are able to return to all the activities they did before the injury, including returning to sports.^{footnote 1}

It's sometimes hard to know how surgeries compare. That's because the ages and activities of people having the surgeries differ. The success of your surgery can depend on:

• Your surgeon's experience.
• The type of surgery you have.
• How bad the tendon damage is.
• How soon after rupture the surgery is done.
• How soon your rehabilitation program starts after surgery.
• How well you follow your rehab program.

Talk to your surgeon about their surgical experience and success rate with the technique that would best treat your condition.

The risks of Achilles tendon surgery include:

• Skin infection at the incision site.
• Normal complications of surgery or anesthesia, such as bleeding and side effects from medicines.
• Nerve damage.
• Risk of repeat Achilles rupture. This risk, though, is typically less than the risk after non-surgical treatment.
• The possibility that the healed tendon will not be as strong as before the injury.
• Decreased range of motion.

Infection is possible with any surgery, but it may be more common with open surgery than with percutaneous surgery. The small risk of other complications is about the same with either open or percutaneous surgery. And most problems go away over time. These complications include pain, delayed wound healing, nerve damage, and problems with scarring.