Orthotic devices for tennis elbow

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, is a prevalent condition.
• Numerous treatment modalities exist, yet no definitive optimal strategy has been established.
• This review focuses on evaluating orthotic devices as a treatment option.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically assess the efficacy of orthotic devices in managing tennis elbow.
• To synthesize evidence from randomized clinical trials on orthotic interventions for lateral epicondylitis.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed across multiple electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Cochrane).
• Inclusion criteria focused on randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing orthotic devices against other treatments for diagnosed lateral epicondylitis.
• Data extraction and validity assessment were conducted independently by two reviewers.

Main Results:

• Five small-sized RCTs were included in the review, with limited sample sizes (N per group 7-49).
• Due to the small number of trials and significant heterogeneity, statistical pooling and subgroup analyses were not feasible.
• The included studies provided limited outcome measures and short-term results, hindering definitive conclusions.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence is insufficient to establish the effectiveness of orthotic devices for treating lateral epicondylitis.
• Further high-quality, well-designed randomized clinical trials with adequate statistical power are required to guide clinical practice.