The Effectiveness Of Counterforce Orthosis In The Management Of Lateral Epicondylitis

Abstract

Lateral epicondylitis is the most commonly diagnosed elbow condition and is defined by lateral elbow pain on palpation of the common extensor origin and pain on resisted wrist extension. It is generally considered to be due to repetitive micro trauma from the overuse of the wrist extensors and subsequent failure of the tendon to heal. Although a myriad of therapeutic interventions is available for the treatment of tennis elbow, no single treatment has been proven to be universally effective, generating little consensus on management. Elbow bracing and exercise modification is often utilized by patients with lateral epicondylitis in order to reduce symptoms. Although the use of a combination of conservative treatments is the norm in clinical practice it is important that the specific elements of treatment are evaluated to identify their individual effectiveness prior to evaluation of possible interactions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a tennis elbow home exercise programme alone and in combination with counterforce orthosis in the management of lateral epicondylitis