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Critical Reviews™ in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

Published 4 issues per year

ISSN Print: 0896-2960

ISSN Online: 2162-6553

SJR: 0.141 SNIP: 0.129 CiteScore™:: 0.6 H-Index: 18

Indexed in

Conservative Treatment and Rehabilitation of Tennis Elbow: A Review Article

Volume 12, Issue 3, 2000, 16 pages
DOI: 10.1615/CritRevPhysRehabilMed.v12.i3.20
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ABSTRACT

Tennis elbow, epicondylitis or lateral epicondylalgia, is a typical overuse disorder in strenuous or repetitive tasks, and chronic cases may often lead to prolonged disability. Over 40 treatments have been used and recommended for tennis elbow, principally without any scientific evidence on the effectiveness. Most conservative therapies and techniques have been concentrated in pain relief and only a few to improve the limited function of the arm, which mostly in chronic or prolonged cases is the real problem.
This article reviews the results of controlled conservative treatment studies for tennis elbow. The effectiveness of oral medication, injections, ultrasound, laser, acupuncture, electrotherapy, physiotherapy, exercise, and shock-wave treatments is discussed. The results show that steroid injections in an early stage are useful, that most traditional physical therapy treatments have limited value, and acupuncture may have some effect and laser treatment seems to be useless in pain relief. Exercise and stretching seem to be effective treatments and should be recommended to improve the limited function of the arm, especially in chronic cases. Scientific evidence is also given for a new treatment method — shock-wave — in pain alleviation. However, there is an apparent need to scientifically study combined treatment programs, which are the norm in practical treatment.

CITED BY
  1. Shamsoddini Alireza, Hollisaz Mohammad Taghi, Hafezi Rahmatollah, Amanellahi Asadollah, Immediate Effects of Counterforce Forearm Brace on Grip Strength and Wrist Extension Force in Patients With Lateral Epicondylosis, Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy, 20, 1, 2010. Crossref

  2. Ho Lydie O.L., Kwong Wai Lun, Cheing Gladys L.Y., Effectiveness of Microcurrent Therapy in the Management of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Pilot Study, Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal, 25, 1, 2007. Crossref

  3. Cleland Joshua A., Whitman Julie M., Fritz Julie M., Effectiveness of Manual Physical Therapy to the Cervical Spine in the Management of Lateral Epicondylalgia: A Retrospective Analysis, Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 34, 11, 2004. Crossref

  4. Sarkar Bibhuti, Das Pooja Ghosh, Equebal Ameed, Mitra Puspal Kumar, Kumar Ratnesh, Anwer Shahnawaz, Efficacy of low-energy extracorporeal shockwave therapy and a supervised clinical exercise protocol for the treatment of chronic lateral epicondylitis: A randomised controlled study, Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal, 31, 1, 2013. Crossref

  5. Hong Quan Nha, Durand Marie-José, Loisel Patrick, Exploring the Evidence for Occupational Therapists' Interventions with Clients with Lateral Epicondylitis, British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 6, 2004. Crossref

  6. Stasinopoulos Dimitrios, Stasinopoulos Ioannis, Comparison of effects of Cyriax physiotherapy, a supervised exercise programme and polarized polychromatic non-coherent light (Bioptron light) for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis, Clinical Rehabilitation, 20, 1, 2006. Crossref

  7. Shamsoddini Alireza, Hollisaz Mohammad Taghi, Hafezi Rahmatollah, Amanellahi Asadollah, Immediate Effects of Counterforce Forearm Brace on Grip Strength and Wrist Extension Force in Patients with Lateral Epicondylosis, Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy, 20, 1, 2010. Crossref

  8. Stergioulas Apostolos, Effects of Low-Level Laser and Plyometric Exercises in the Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis, Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, 25, 3, 2007. Crossref

  9. Hill Caitlin E., Stanton Robert, Heales Luke J., Kean Crystal O., Therapeutic tape use for lateral elbow tendinopathy: A survey of Australian healthcare practitioners, Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 48, 2020. Crossref

  10. Heales Luke J., Randall Samantha, Vicenzino Bill, Coombes Brooke K., Obst Steven, An evidence-based evaluation of mobile health apps for the management of individuals with lateral elbow tendinopathy using a systematic review framework, Physical Therapy Reviews, 26, 4, 2021. Crossref

  11. Huang Tian-zong, Kim Suhn-yeop, Effect of Forearm Dynamic Taping on Muscle Activity of Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis During Wrist Isometric and Isotonic Contraction, Physical Therapy Korea, 28, 2, 2021. Crossref

  12. Farzad Maryam, MacDermid Joy C., Shafiee Erfan, Beygi Amirreza Smaeel, Vafaei Atefeh, Varahra Azar, Beikpour Hadi, Clinimetric testing of the Persian version of the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaires in patients with lateral elbow tendinopathy, Disability and Rehabilitation, 44, 12, 2022. Crossref

  13. Bagcaci Sinan, Unuvar Bayram Sonmez, Gercek Hasan, Ugurlu Ibrahim, Sert Ozlem Akkoyun, Yilmaz Kamil, A randomized controlled trial on pain, grip strength, and functionality in lateral elbow pain: Mulligan vs muscle energy techniques, Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 2022. Crossref

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