Efficacy of a Stretching Protocol for Lateral Epicondylitis

Efficacy of a Whole Upper Limb Stretching Protocol for Lateral Epicondylitis

Evaluation of the applying a stretching protocol to lateral epicondylitis.

Epicondylitis is one of the most common soft tissue disorders of the locomotor system of the upper limb. Despite the existence of a large number of therapeutic alternatives for this type of injury, no agreed treatment protocol has been found. Some authors even suggest treating the patient from a more global biomechanical perspective.

OBJECTIVES. To evaluate the efficacy of applying a stretching protocol to the entire muscle chain involved in this injury and circumscribed to the entire affected upper limb.

METHODOLOGY. The study will be made up of 40 patients of both genders, randomly distributed in two groups: a control group made up of twenty patients to whom the usual Physiotherapy treatment will be applied, and an experimental group made up of the rest of the subjects, in which a stretching protocol will be applied to the whole upper limb affected and defined for this study. The evaluation process will consist of measuring pain perception using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and grip strength with a dynamometer. These measurements will be performed on all study subjects before starting treatment, at week 4 and week 6.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult subjects over 18 years of age.
• Clinical diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis made by the Rehabilitation Physicians collaborating in this study.
• Patient's prior informed consent for inclusion in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with significant psychological, neurological and physical impairments that would prevent the recruitment of the information necessary for the research.
• Patients with significant psychological, neurological and physical alterations that would prevent the application of the treatments necessary for the research.
• Patients in a situation of legal litigation that could be affected by their participation in this study.
• Refusal to participate in the study.