Effective Tennis Elbow Rehabilitation

 

 

Tennis Elbow Rehabilitation

Steroids injections are the most useful short-term lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow treatment, with a clinically superior effect to the rehabilitation or even a “wait and see” approach. Yet these benefits remain a short time and long-term rehabilitation is more useful.

Recent medical study

The following results were published in the Lancet Journal of a study conducted in Holland in which they compared three different strategies in the treatment ofepicondylitis: steroid injections, tennis elbow rehabilitation and a wait and see approach.

In the latter case, patients were treated with analgesics (paracetamol) or anti-inflammatory drugs depending on symptoms. 185 patients, who had clinical epicondylitis of at least 6 weeks’ duration, were included in the study. Patients were randomized to one of three groups and their development was assessed at 3, 6, 12, 26 and 52 weeks of treatment.

Among the variables used to assess the effectiveness of treatment was a subjective rating scale of 6 points in the patient status (from “completely recovered” to “much worse”) pain intensity scales, functional capacity, also objective tests for strength recovery and movement capacity without pain.

What were the results?

After 6 weeks steroid injections showed a significantly higher response rate, 92% versus 47% in the rehabilitation group and 32% in the group of wait and see. However, individuals who received the injections had a high recurrence rate.

In the long term (52 weeks) patients who received rehabilitation (response rate 91%) and the wait and see group (83% response) were better than patients who were treated with infiltrations of corticosteroids (response rate 69%).

What did we learn?

The study’s authors conclude that patients with epicondylitis should be properly informed of the advantages and disadvantages of each therapeutic option. The decision to do physiotherapy or wait and see can be taken depending on available resources, since the differences between these two treatments are not very large.

This study comes to show that at home or professional physical therapy for tennis elbow and exercises are better in the long run for rehabilitation and a full recovery. We strongly recommend you visit our tennis elbow therapy and tennis elbow exercises sections for more detailed information and step by step instructions on what to do to relief tennis elbow pain.