Tennis Elbow
Conditions
Keywords
tennis elbow, microcurrent, tissue healing
Brief summary
Tennis elbow is a relatively common musculoskeletal disorder that can cause significant pain and disability. Treatment of the disorder is not always successful, and it often recurs or becomes chronic. More effective management options are required. There is evidence that electric microcurrent can promote tissue healing and symptom resolution in various chronic hard and soft tissue disorders, but few human studies investigating its use with chronic tendon problems. It is an easily applied therapy with very few reports of side effects. It can be applied at home using a portable unit and, if it is clinically effective, may also prove more cost effective than other therapies. A clinical trial is planned to evaluate the therapy but, in the absence of relevant published evidence, a preliminary study is required to look for a treatment effect and inform a power calculation for sample size, The study will also allow some investigation of dose-dependence, which is a key issue in many forms of electrotherapy. Finally it will enable evaluation of elements of the full trial protocol so that any weaknesses can be addressed before it begins.
Interventions
DEVICEMicrocurrent (Elexoma Medic)
monophasic frequency modulated square wave current applied for 99 minutes daily for 21 days
Sponsors
University of Hertfordshire
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* symptoms of tennis elbow for at least 3 months * clinical diagnosis of tennis elbow
Exclusion criteria
* significant symptom improvement in previous month * receipt of any active treatment for the condition in the previous month * currently under the care of another health professional for tennis elbow * current cervical radiculopathy * other pathology affecting distal upper limb
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Tendon pathology as indicated by sonography | baseline, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 4 months |
| Patient-Rated Global Change Score | 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 4 months |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Pain Free Grip Strength | baseline, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 4 months |
| Patient-rated Tennis Elbow Questionnaire | baseline, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 4 months |
| Patient-Specific Functional Scale | baseline, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 4 months |
| Adverse events | 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 4 months |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed