Table 1.
Baseline characteristics for the wait and see, corticosteroid, and physiotherapy groups and the total study population. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Wait and see (n=67) | Steroid injection (n=65) | Physiotherapy (n=66) | Total (n=198) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 47.3 (8.1) | 47.8 (8.2) | 47.9 (7.2) | 47.6 (7.8) |
| Women | 24 (36) | 25 (38) | 21 (32) | 70 (35) |
| Median (interquartile range) duration (weeks) | 26 (10-42) | 26 (12-42) | 16 (11-35) | 22 (12-42) |
| Dominant elbow affected | 42 (63) | 49 (75) | 42 (64) | 133 (67) |
| Previous episodes of lateral elbow pain | 22 (33) | 19 (29) | 14 (21) | 55 (28) |
| Alleged cause: | ||||
| Overuse, usual activities | 4 (6) | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | 8 (4) |
| Overuse, unusual activities | 8 (12) | 12 (18) | 18 (27) | 38 (19) |
| Other (such as sport, unexpected movement) | 16 (24) | 11 (17) | 12 (18) | 39 (20) |
| Unknown | 39 (58) | 40 (62) | 34 (52) | 113 (57) |
| Employment: | ||||
| Unemployed | 10 (15) | 12 (18) | 9 (14) | 31 (16) |
| Non-manual work | 30 (45) | 32 (50) | 36 (66) | 98 (50) |
| Manual work | 27 (40) | 21 (32) | 21 (32) | 69 (35) |
| Mean (SD) pain-free grip force ratio* | 48.0 (21.5) | 38.4 (17.1) | 42.4 (20.8) | 42.9 (20.0) |
| Mean (SD) assessor rating of severity (/100) | 51.9 (19.5) | 58.0 (17.3) | 51.6 (19.3) | 53.8 (18.8) |
| Mean (SD) pain severity in previous week (/100) | 61.3 (22.6) | 53.5 (23.0) | 57.5 (25.0) | 57.5 (23.7) |
| Mean (SD) pain free function questionnaire (/100) | 76.7 (21.3) | 80.8 (16.1) | 75.4 (18.9) | 77.6 (18.9) |
*
Affected side/unaffected side×100.