In an excerpt from Concise Clinical Evidence (p 329), Assendelft and colleagues review the evidence for treatments for tennis elbow (also known as lateral epicondylitis). Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are safe and effective for pain relief in the short term, and there is some evidence of benefit from oral NSAIDs. The treatments for which effectiveness is still unknown include acupuncture, exercise, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, surgery, braces, and NSAIDs in the long term. In an accompanying commentary, Mellor (p 330) cautions against seeing this review as definitive: many trials have been short term, during which tennis elbow often spontaneously resolves; more research is needed on treating chronic tennis elbow.
Figure 1.
Credit: SPORTSCHROME/EMPICS