Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in the Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis

Abstract

0124 PURPOSE: To describe the outcomes of a cohort of individuals involved in a randomized control trial of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis (LE) not previously treated at least one year post-inclusion. METHODS: This study is a prospective cohort design. The initial trial was a doubleblind randomized control trial design. 60 subjects diagnosed with LE, who had never been treated for their LE were randomly allocated to receive 3 weekly sessions of real (total energy flux density range 0.03–0.17mJ/mm2) or sham ESWT. All subjects were taught a home forearm extensor stretch. Subjects were followed for 8 weeks postinclusion and were assessed for overall pain (visual analogue scale), and maximum pain-free grip strength. At the 8 week follow-up, all subjects were unblinded to their treatment allocation and subjects initially allocated to sham therapy were offered active therapy. Subjects who felt they might benefit from additional treatment sessions at the 8 week follow-up following initiation of active therapy were given 2 additional sessions. All subjects, regardless of allocation were followed for a minimum of one year post-inclusion. All subjects who received active therapy (whether initially or later crossed over) were pooled for analysis. RESULTS: Initial results for the first 20 subjects are presented in the table below (Interquartile range in parentheses):TableCONCLUSION: Initial results suggest substantial improvement in pain (one order of magnitude) and pain-free maximum grip strength over a 3-month period, and possible continued improvement over one year. It is speculated that there may be additional therapeutic benefit to additional treatment sessions beyond the standard manufacturer recommended 3 sessions. Full results for the full cohort out to one year will be presented. Supported by the Alberta Provincial Canadian Institutes of Health Research Bone and Joint Training Program and the Sport Science Association of Alberta.