Shock Wave Therapy in Individuals With Lateral Epicondylitis

Analgesic Effect of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Individuals With Lateral Epicondylitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A sample of 40 patients poststroke (24 males) was randomly allocated to either ESWT experimental (n=18) or conventional physiotherapy control group (n=20). All patients received 5 sessions during the treatment program. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Taiwan version Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire, and dynamometer (Maximal grip strength) for each participant were assessed before and after the treatment program.

The participants in the experiment group received 5 consecutive sessions of ESWT for 5 minutes. Treatment parameters for the shock wave therapy group were set similar to a previous study (Devrimsel et al., 2013) 2000 shock waves with 1.6 bar intensity and 16 Hz frequency were applied for five sessions using the Swiss DolorClast Master (EMS, Nyon, Switzerland). The participants in the control group received 5 sessions of conventional physical therapy intervention for 5 minutes. The control group intervention consists of a 1-minute friction massage over the common extensor tendon of the elbow, followed by 3 minutes therapeutic ultrasound with a frequency of 1.5 Hz, and a 1-minute ice massage over the common extensor tendon of the elbow. All participants used 10-cm lateral epicondyle bandages in the treatment period, while none of them received analgesic or anti-inflammatory drugs and received exercise programs.

Inclusion Criteria:

• An inclusion criterion was a confirmed diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis with lateral elbow pain lasting more than 6 months and less than 1 year.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants were excluded from this study if they had cervical radiculopathy, elbow deformity, history of diabetes mellitus, hypo- or hyperthyroidism, history of malignancy, chronic inflammatory diseases, and pregnancy. Patients who received corticosteroid injections to the lateral epicondyle within 6 weeks were also excluded.