The Elbow

Literature

Rev Prat 1991 Jun 21;41(18):1651-1655

[Tennis elbow].

[Article in French]

Troisier O

Service de rhumatologie, Centre medico-chirurgical Foch, Suresnes.

Tennis elbow is most often due to a tendinitis of the extensor carpi radialis brevis, and occasionally of the extensor digitorum. Pain felt at the outer aspect of the elbow, is elicited by grasping. Passive movements are painless, and of full range, excepted for extension, and varus strain tested in slight flexion. Isometric contraction of all the muscles controlling the joint are painless, excepted resisted extension of the wrist. The most usual painful spots lay on the lateral epicondyle, or lower on the common tendon. Diagnosis is confirmed when signs disappear immediately after a correct injection of lignocaine, and persist at least 3 Weeks if a corticoid is added. The two outstanding differential diagnoses are internal derangement of the humero-radial joint, and entrapment of the sensory branch of the radial nerve. Many treatments are indicated. In a series of 58 cases, cervical manipulations give in most cas es only a temporary relief; deep transverse massage applied on the tendon below the epicondyle, gives in a series of 131 cases good and excellent results in 63% of the cases. In a series of 257 cases, injections of corticoids gives full relief in all cases, but the rate of recurrences is 66.7%, although 67% of those recur only once or twice. Percutaneous tenotomy performed only in patients recurring after temporary cure, drops the rate of recurrences to 13%. The last alternative is open surgery, releasing the common tendon.

Br J Rheumatol 1991 Feb;30(1):39-44

Local injection treatment of tennis elbow--hydrocortisone, triamcinolone and lignocaine compared.

Price R, Sinclair H, Heinrich I, Gibson T

Rheumatology Unit, Guy's Hospital, London.

Corticosteroid injections are the mainstay of treating tennis elbow even though their effectiveness has not been well established by controlled studies. A survey of consultant rheumatologists confirmed a widespread preference for this treatment but they varied in their choice of steroid dose and preparation. We examined the value of some practices by comparing local injections of 2 ml 1% lignocaine with either 10 mg triamcinolone or 25 mg hydrocortisone made up to 2 ml with 1% lignocaine (Study 1). The investigation was conducted double blind. Within the first 8 weeks, pain relief was greater for triamcinolone than hydrocortisone although the differences were not statistically significant. The response to both steroid preparations was significantly better than for lignocaine up to this point but at 24 weeks, the degrees of improvement were similar for all three groups and many patients still had pain. Relapse was common. In a separate but simi larly designed study, triamcinolone 10 mg was compared with 20 mg of the same agent. Improvements of pain were similar and followed the same time scale. Post-injection worsening of pain occurred in approximately half of all steroid treated patients in both studies and this was sometimes severe and persistent. It was less frequent amongst those given lignocaine alone. Skin atrophy was reported in all groups but was more frequent amongst those given triamcinolone in Study 1. In conclusion, more rapid relief of symptoms was achieved with 10 mg triamcinolone than with 25 mg hydrocortisone or lignocaine alone and there was less needed to repeat injections. Results obtained with 20 mg triamcinolone were similar to those of the smaller dose.

J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2002 Jul;84(5):678-9.

A prospective, randomised study to compare extracorporeal shock-wave therapy and injection of steroid for the treatment of tennis elbow.

Crowther MA, Bannister GC, Huma H, Rooker GD.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Southmead Hospital, Bristol, Westbury-on-Trym, UK.

We undertook a prospective, randomised study to compare the analgesic effect of injection of steroid and of extracorporeal shock-wave therapy (ESWT) for the treatment of tennis elbow. Group 1 received a single injection of 20 mg of triamcinolone with lignocaine while group 2 received 2000 shock waves in three sessions at weekly intervals. After six weeks there was a significant difference between the groups with the mean pain score for the injection group falling from 66 to 21 compared with a decrease from 61 to 35 in the shock-wave group (p = 0.05). After three months, 84% of patients in group 1 were considered to have had successful treatment compared with 60% in group 2. In the medium term local injection of steroid is more successful and 100 times less expensive than ESWT in the treatment of tennis elbow