Effect of oculus guided physical therapy in adjunct to conventional therapy in lateral epicondylitis patients

Abstract

Tennis elbow, aka as lateral epicondylitis, affects the elbow and results in pain, disability, and a loss of grip strength. Runge first outlined lateral epicondylitis in 1873, and Henry Morris coined the term "Lawn Tennis Arm" in a Lancet article from 1882. The condition is also known as tendinosis, lateral epicondylitis, and angiofibroblastic hyperplasia. . Before the lateral epicondyle, up to 5 mm distally, the most soreness is widely documented. 30 to 50-year-olds are the most often impacted age group. This protocol has been created to address the vital role of physiotherapy in improving pain and joint function in lateral epicondylitis. Virtual reality is a newer concept that can be a beneficial tool to traditional therapy techniques. Studies have indicated some benefit of VR-based techniques for hand dexterity and gait, utilizing both specialist and gaming VR systems. The participants (n=60) with lateral epicondylitis were enlisted in the study and divided into two groups of 30 participants each. One group was treated with traditionally used conventional therapy which includes cryotherapy, ultrasound therapy and some stretching and strengthening exercises; while the other group was treated with oculus quest (virtual reality device) guided therapy along with the conventional therapy. The two games used for this experimental group were "Hand Physics Lab" and "Creed - Rise to glory". The results were interpretated on the basis of VAS, PRTEE, ROM of elbow joint. After the intervention both groups showed significant results in all the mentioned outcome measures. But Group B which received oculus guided physical therapy along with conventional therapy showed statistically more significant improvement at the end of the treatment. The study suggests that, the scope of oculus guided therapy must be expanded in the condition of lateral epicondylitis and other upper extremity related conditions as results show positive trend.