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Related Experiment Videos

Acupuncture for lateral elbow pain.

S Green1, R Buchbinder, L Barnsley

  • 1Australasian Cochrane Centre, Monash University, Australasian Cochrane Centre, Locked Bag 29, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 3168. sally.green@med.monash.edu.au

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|March 1, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Acupuncture shows short-term pain relief for tennis elbow, but evidence is insufficient to support its routine use. More high-quality trials are needed to confirm effectiveness and safety for lateral elbow pain treatment.

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Area of Science:

  • Evidence-based medicine
  • Complementary and alternative medicine
  • Musculoskeletal disorders

Background:

  • Lateral elbow pain, commonly known as tennis elbow, is a prevalent condition affecting elbow and wrist function.
  • Acupuncture is increasingly explored as a treatment for musculoskeletal disorders, including tennis elbow.
  • No prior systematic review has comprehensively evaluated acupuncture's efficacy for lateral elbow pain.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating adult lateral elbow pain.
  • To evaluate acupuncture's impact on pain reduction, functional improvement, and grip strength.
  • To identify any adverse effects associated with acupuncture treatment for tennis elbow.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic search of multiple databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, SCISEARCH, Cochrane) from 1966 to June 2001.

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  • Inclusion of randomized and pseudo-randomized controlled trials in any language comparing acupuncture to placebo or other interventions.
  • Extraction and analysis of data on pain, function, disability, quality of life, strength, participant satisfaction, and adverse effects.

    • Main Results:

    • Four small randomized controlled trials were included; meta-analysis was not possible due to study design flaws and heterogeneity.
    • One trial indicated needle acupuncture provided significantly longer pain relief than placebo (18.8 hours).
    • Two trials suggested short-term participant-reported improvement with needle acupuncture, but no long-term benefits were observed. Laser acupuncture showed no difference compared to placebo.

    Conclusions:

    • Insufficient evidence exists to support or refute acupuncture (needle or laser) for lateral elbow pain.
    • Needle acupuncture may offer short-term pain relief, but this is based on limited, small trials.
    • Further rigorous trials with adequate sample sizes are necessary to establish acupuncture's efficacy and safety for tennis elbow.