Abstract
BackgroundLateral epicondylitis is frequently seen in racquet sport players and the treatments are usually symptomatic rather than curative. Taping therapy is cheap and easy to apply in the sport field. In this study we valued the effectiveness of Kinesio taping (KT) on immediate pain control for patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis.MethodsWe conducted a randomized, double-blinded, cross-over study with 15 patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis. All participants received two taping sessions in a random order with a 3-day interval in between: one with KT and the other with sham taping (ST). Pain perceived during resisted wrist extension and at rest using numeric rating scale (NRS), the pain-free grip strength, and the pressure pain threshold, were measured before and 15 min after the tape was applied.ResultsA significant reduction of 2.1 ± 1.6 (Z = − 3.081, P = 0.002) and 0.7 ± 0.8 (Z = − 2.428, P = 0.015) was found on a NRS with KT and ST, respectively, indicating that both taping sessions produced immediate pain relief for resisted wrist extension. Both taping sessions significantly improved the pain-free grip strength with increases of 3.31 ± 5.05 (Z = − 2.615, P = 0.009) and 2.43 ± 3.31 (Z = − 2.783, P = 0.005) kg found with KT and ST, respectively. Compared with ST, KT exhibited superiority in controlling pain experienced during resisted wrist extension (Z = − 2.168, P = 0.030).ConclusionsTaping produced unneglectable placebo effects on pain relief and painf-free grip strength for patients with lateral epicondylitis, and KT seemed to have additional effects on controlling pain that was elicited by resisted wrist extension.Trial registrationISRCTN13618356 (retrospectively registered on 13/02/2017).
Highlights
Lateral epicondylitis is frequently seen in racquet sport players and the treatments are usually symptomatic rather than curative
The criteria for the diagnosis of chronic lateral epicondylitis was based on the clinical presentation and included: (1) typical pain over the lateral epicondyle elicited by resisted wrist extension; (2) tenderness at the lateral epicondyle; and (3) symptoms lasting for at least 2 months
The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) questionnaire ranged from 24~ 78 with a mean of 46.3 (SD 17.5), indicating a wide range of severity of pain symptoms and disabilities that were caused by lateral epicondylitis
Summary
Lateral epicondylitis is frequently seen in racquet sport players and the treatments are usually symptomatic rather than curative. In this study we valued the effectiveness of Kinesio taping (KT) on immediate pain control for patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis. Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is the most common cause of elbow pain [1], and is commonly seen in racquet sports players with a reported incidence of 9~ 35% and a prevalence of 14~ 41% among tennis players [2]. The dominant upper limb is much more often involved [3] It typically presents with pain around the lateral epicondyle elicited by forceful wrist extension. This is the result of the degenerative angiofibroblastic hyperplasia of wrist extensor tendons due to repeated microtraumas [4]. The recovery phase can be as long as several months [8], potentially impacting the quality of life and sports performance of affected individuals [9]
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