Altan L et al. – Although epicondyle bandage was not found to be superior to wrist splint, it could be favored over splint since it is more practical and cosmetically acceptable. Methods
Effectiveness of braces in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis was investigated
Effects of two different types of most frequently used braces were compared
50 pts (7 males; 43 females; age 34-60)
Pts were distributed into two groups; group I: 25 pts were given a lateral epicondyle bandage; group II: 25 pts were given a wrist resting splint holding the wrist in slight dorsiflexion
Evaluations of the pts were done before treatment and at the second and sixth wks of treatment
Evaluation parameters were pain during rest and movement, sensitivity, algometer score, hand grip strength, and evaluation of the response to treatment
The response to treatment was evaluated according to the following categories: excellent, good, medium, and bad
Results
In group I, only pain during rest and movement decreased at 2 wks while improvement was obtained for all parameters at 6 wks
In group II, all parameters except for algometric sensitivity showed improvement at 2 wks
Improvement was obtained for all parameters at 6 wks in this group
Comparison of the two groups showed better improvement in resting pain in group II at 2 wks while there was no difference for other parameters
Braces might be a good strategy to help wait out the natural course of tennis elbow complaints
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