Radial epicondylalgia (‘tennis elbow'): treatment with stretching or forearm band. A prospective study with long‐term follow‐up including range‐of‐motion measurements

Abstract

Stretching or upper forearm bands were used in the treatment of radial epicondylalgia ('tennis elbow') in a prospective study of 185 patients. The two consecutive series did not differ with respect to, for example, age (median 43 years), gender (57% men), symptom duration (mean 12 months) and symptomatic elbow (68% right), and were examined before and after 1 month of treatment, then at 3 and 9 months, and at a long-term follow-up (44/33 months). The 94 stretching-treated patients were instructed to perform home exercises twice daily, but were also treated at six physiotherapist sessions the first month. The other 91 patients were told to use a prescribed proximal forearm band in daily activities as much as possible. Both treatments were successful with a continuous symptom reduction, but the outcome was statistically significant in favour of stretching at all follow-ups, as assessed by subjective evaluation on a visual analogue pain scale, tabulated pain and condition alternatives on questionnaires, and objective findings such as palpation tenderness at the radial epicondyle, the (Mills') 'tennis elbow pain test', and range-of-motion. Practically all measured range-of-motions were restricted in both groups before treatment and did increase with stretching during the follow-up period, while the various changes in the forearm band group were statistically non-significant.