Tennis elbow.
BACKGROUND
Lateral pain in the elbow affects up to 3% of the population, and is considered an overload injury of the extensor tendons of the forearm where they attach at the lateral epicondyle. Although usually self-limiting, symptoms may persist for over 1 year in up to 20% of people.


METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments for tennis elbow? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to August 2006 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).


RESULTS
We found 30 systematic reviews, RCTs or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: acupuncture, corticosteroid injections, exercise and mobilisation, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (oral and topical), orthoses (bracing), and surgery.
Buchbinder
Rachelle
R
Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Hospital, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Green
Sally Elizabeth
SE
Struijs
Peter
P
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D007990:Libraries; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D013716:Tennis Elbow / Q000628:therapy; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal