THE TREATMENT OF LATERAL EPICONDYLITIS BY IONTOPHORESIS OF SODIUM-SALICYLATE AND SODIUM DICLOFENAC

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of sodium diclofenac and s odium salicylate applied by topical iontophoresis and to compare them in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Subjects: Forty patients wi th lateral epicondylitis were randomized into two groups of 20 patient s who were matched for age and sex. Interventions: The patients in one group were treated by iontophoresis of sodium diclofenac and the othe r group were treated by iontophoresis of sodium salicylate. Then infra red treatment was applied to patients in both groups. Main outcome mea sures: Pain scores obtained before and after treatment were compared. Results: Pain produced by pressure on the lateral epicondyle, on resis ting wrist extension, during function and spontaneous pain at rest sig nificantly decreased in both groups after treatment ip (p<0.001). When pain scores obtained after treatment were compared, greater decrease was observed in the pain produced on resisting wrist extension (p<0.01 ) and by pressure on the lateral epicondyle (p<0.05) in the group trea ted with sodium diclofenac than in the group treated with sodium salic ylate. Conclusions: The results suggest some benefits from the process of iontophoresis and the use of infrared in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis and indicate that iontophoresis of sodium diclofenac is more effective than that of sodium salicylate.