Analgesic effect of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy on chronic tennis elbow.
We report a controlled, prospective study to investigate the effect of treatment by low-energy extracorporeal shock waves on pain in tennis elbow. We assigned at random 100 patients who had had symptoms for more than 12 months to two groups to receive low-energy shock-wave therapy. Group I received a total of 3000 impulses of 0.08 mJ/mm2 and group II, the control group, 30 impulses. The patients were reviewed after 3, 6 and 24 weeks. There was significant alleviation of pain and improvement of function after treatment in group I in which there was a good or excellent outcome in 48% and an acceptable result in 42% at the final review, compared with 6% and 24%, respectively, in group II.
Rompe
J D
JD
Johannes Gutenberg University Hospital, Mainz, Germany.
Hope
C
C
Küllmer
K
K
Heine
J
J
Bürger
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008096:Lithotripsy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D013716:Tennis Elbow / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome