Comparison of the Effects of Different Treatment Methods Applied in Patients with Lateral Epicondylitis on Clinical Outcomes

Abstract

Objectives: In our study, the effectiveness of steroid injection therapy, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) and splint use in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis were compared. Methods: A total of 97 patients (28 males, 57 females, mean age: 47 years) with a clinical diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis were included in the study. The patients were divided into three treatment groups: ESWT (ESWT group), local steroid injection and splint group. Patients were evaluated with Visual analog scale (VAS) and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) scores before and after treatment. Results: A decrease in VAS and DASH scores and clinical improvement compared to pre-treatment were observed in all three groups. Better results were obtained in the group that received steroid injection with the peppering technique. Conclusion: The results of this study show that local steroid injection, ESWT application and bandage treatment may be beneficial in the short term in the treatment of patients with lateral epicondylitis. However, it was evaluated that the best improvement in scores was obtained with local steroid injection with the peppering technique, whereas the least improvement was obtained with bandage treatment.