RADIAL EPICONDYLALGIA (TENNIS ELBOW) - TREATMENT WITH STRETCHING OR FOREARM BAND - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY WITH LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP INCLUDING RANGE-OF-MOTION MEASUREMENTS

Stretching or upper forearm bands were used in the treatment of radial epicondylalgia ('tennis elbow') in a prospective study of 185 patient s. The two consecutive series did not differ with respect to, for exam ple, age (median 43 years), gender (57% men), symptom duration (mean 1 2 months) and symptomatic elbow (68% right), and were examined before and after 1 month of treatment, then at 3 and 9 months, and at a longt erm follow-up (44/33 months). The 94 stretching-treated patients were instructed to perform home exercises twice daily, but were also treate d at six physiotherapist sessions the first month. The other 91 patien ts were told to use a prescribed proximal forearm band in daily activi ties as much as possible. Both treatments were successful with a conti nuous symptom reduction, but the outcome was statistically significant in favour of stretching at all follow-ups, as assessed by subjective evaluation on a visual analogue pain scale, tabulated pain and conditi on alternatives on questionnaires, and objective findings such as palp ation tenderness at the radial epicondyle, the (Mills') 'tennis elbow pain test', and range-of-motion. Practically all measured range-of-mot ions were restricted in both groups before treatment and did increase with stretching during the follow-up period, while the various changes in the forearm band group were statistically non-significant.