Costa ML, Achten J, Marian IR, et al. - A multicentre randomized controlled trial was designed to compare functional and quality-of-life outcomes and resource use in patients treated non-operatively with plaster cast vs functional brace. In the UK, UKSTAR was a pragmatic, superiority, multicentre, randomized controlled trial done at 39 hospitals. A total of 1,451 individuals were screened, of whom 540 individuals (mean age 48·7 years, 79% male) were assigned randomly to receive plaster cast (n = 266) or functional brace (n = 274). In the management of individuals treated non-surgically for Achilles tendon rupture, traditional plaster casting was not observed to be superior to early weight-bearing in a functional brace, as measured by ATRS. It can be considered by the clinicians that the use of early weight-bearing in a functional brace as a safe and cost-effective alternative to plaster casting.