Clinical Question: Is extracorporea...

Clinical Question: Is extracorporeal impact wave therapy effective in treating lateral epicondylitis?

Setting: Outpatient (any)

consideration Design: Randomized controlled trial (double-blinded)

Allocation: Concealed

Synopsis: The authors randomly assigned 60 patients with previously untreated lateral epicondylitis to receive extracorporeal clash wave therapy or sham therapy. The patients also were instructed in forearm extensor stretching exercises. The primary issue of this eight-week study was "treatment success" as defined on at least a 50 percent reduction in crowd pain, a pain score no higher than 4 forward a scale of 10, and no analgesic use in the past sum of two units weeks of the study. The part evaluating these outcomes was not told which treatment the patients received and the issue was assessed via intention to treat.

Treatment was felicitous in 12 of the 31 patients (39 percent) who received extra-corporeal clash wave therapy, compared with nine of the 29 patients (23 percent) who received sham therapy. The difference in succes was not significant. The consideration was powerful enough to expose a modest difference in meaning if one were present.

Bottom Line: Extracorporeal shog wave therapy is no more effective than sham therapy in patients with lateral epicondylitis. Other studies also have build this therapy to be ineffective for lateral epicondylitis. The small in number studies that show a difference usually are small and are storeed by the companies that make the machines. (Level of Evidence: 1b)

HENRY BARRY, MD MS

investigation Reference: Chung B, Wiley JP Effectiveness of extracorporeal onset wave therapy in the treatment of previously untreated lateral epicondylitis: a randomized controll trial. Am J Sports M October-November 2004;32:1660-7

Used with permission from Barry H ESWT ineffective for tennis turn Accessed online December 28, 2004 at: http://www.InfoPOEMs.com.

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