Physiotherapy or Acupuncture for Lateral Epicondylitis

Work-related upper extremity disorders are common problems in working populations in western countries. Lateral epicondylitis (LE) or tennis elbow is the most frequent type of soft tissue syndrome of the elbow, with an annual incidence of four to seven cases per 1000 patients in general practice, and as high as 15 % of workers in highly repetitive hand task industries.

LE is a painful condition, leading to loss of function of the affected limb. Therefore it can have a major impact on the patient's work and personal life. If untreated, it persists for an average of six to 24 months and associated with significant sickness absence in 5 % of affected working-aged adults. The cost is therefore high, both in terms of loss of productivity and health care utilization.

Many treatments have been advocated in the management of LE, possibly implying that much is unknown about its etiology and how it best should be treated. Systematic reviews have failed to draw any firm conclusions as to what treatment is most effective in managing this condition.

Over the past 10 years acupuncture has gained wider acceptance for treating pain, by both clinicians and consumers of health, and there is some evidence suggesting that acupuncture treatment is effective in of acute symptoms in LE. A recent study supports that also elbow manipulation have a short-term relief of acute symptoms in LE, especially when combined with eccentric exercise. Our study will therefore explore the clinical effectiveness of physiotherapy versus acupuncture treatment of LE, compared with watchful waiting.