Epicondylitis, Pain, Tendinopathy
Conditions
Keywords
pain, elbow, tendinopathy
Brief summary
Lateral epicondylitis is a painful overuse condition also described as lateral elbow tendinopathy. As at the Achilles tendon or the patella tendon, lateral elbow tendinopathy has striking clinically and histologically similarities. As such, neovascularisation closely related to pain-mediating fibers are encountered. Eccentric painful exercise is of clinical use in Achilles and patella tendinopathy. We sought to evaluate the clinical effect of a painful eccentric training (supination and pronation) with or without a orthopedic elbow brace in lateral epicondylitis.
Detailed description
Two study arms are planned with both groups performed a home-based eccentric training using a Thera-Band Flex-Bar device. Supination and pronation are performed with each position on hold for 2s with 15 repetitions. This is repeated in three sets of 15 repetitions each twice daily. In other words, 6x15 repetitions of supination and pronation per day are suggested in the eccentric training using the Thera-Band Flex-Bar. The combination group performs the same eccentric training. In addition, patients wear a orthopedic elbow brace (Epi-Hit) in order to overcome the elbow pain. This is a clinical trial, thus pain reduction on a visual analogue scale is the primary outcome parameter. Evaluation will be performed after 12 weeks of intervention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALEccentric training (Flex-Bar)
6x15 repetitions of supination and pronation daily over 12 weeks
DEVICEEpiHit elbow brace
daily wearing of the EpiHit elbow brace
Sponsors
Hannover Medical School
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* lateral elbow tendinopathy * 18-80 years informed consent
Exclusion criteria
* no elbow tendinopathy \<18 or \> 80 years no informed consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pain on visual analogue scale (VAS 0-10) | 12 weeks | Pain on VAS (0=no pain, 10=worst pain) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Elbow microcirculation | 12 weeks | Oxygen-to-see combined Laser-Doppler flowmetry and spektrophotometry system non-invasively analyzing three parameters: tissue oxygen saturation, capillary blood flow, postcapillary venous filling pressure |
| DASH Score [0-100] | 12 weeks | DASH score \[0=no impairment of daily activities, 100= severe impairment) before and 12 weeks after intervention |
| Grip strength (JAMAR) | 12 weeks | Grip strength (JAMAR, kg) in two elbow positions: 0° flexion and 90° flexion |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Primary ContactKarsten Knobloch, FACS, MD, PhD
Outcome results
None listed