GLYCOSAMINOGLYCAN POLYSULFATE INJECTIONS IN LATERAL HUMERAL EPICONDYLALGIA - A PLACEBO-CONTROLLED DOUBLE-BLIND TRIAL

The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic benefit o f local Glycosaminoglycan polysulfate (GAGPS) injections in the treatm ent of chronic epicondylalgia. The study was conducted as a prospectiv e, placebo-controlled double-blind trial. Sixty patients with a typica l history of pain for at least 3 months who attended two private ortho paedic clinics in Stockholm received 50 mg GAGPS or placebo injections , one injection a week, for five weeks. The main outcome measures were the patients' evaluation of pain in connection with daily activities with a visual analogue scale and the number of treatment failures. The follow-up period was six months. The difference in reduction of pains core (VAS) ranging between 11.1 percentage units at the half-year foll ow-up and 20.9 percentage units 2 weeks after the treatment period is clinically good. The number of treatment failures in the GAGPS treatme nt groups at the 6 week follow-up was only 4 (13%) compared with 12 (4 0%) of the placebo treated patients. At the half-year follow-up 5 of t hose who received GAGPS had experienced a recurrency. The recurrency r ate is thus smaller than most of those reported in controlled studies with corticosteroids. In the GAGPS treated group 13 patients reported on local pain after some injections, 2 cases combined with local haema tomas, compared with 5 cases of local pain in the placebo group. The r esults confirm previous good results of GAGPS injection therapy in sub chronic and chronic peritendinitis.