[Treatment of epicondylitis - a current review]

Lateral epicondylitis or tennis elbow is a common injury, which affects not only people who play tennis but occurs with many different activities. It reflects overuse of the extensor muscles of the forearm. There are some other pathologies which have to be separated from epicondylitis. The choice of different treatments is hard to overlook and there are only a few good clinical trials which support one treatment option by means of evidence based medicine. During the acute phase topical NSAIR, steroid injections, ultrasound and acupuncture are helpful. There is no consensus about the effectiveness of physiotherapy, orthoses, laser, electrotherapy or botulinumtoxininjections. During the chronic phase none of the different treatment modalities is effective according to criterias of evidence based medicine. By now, it has not been proven whether patients profit during that time of physiotherapy, orthoses, extracorporeal shock wave therapy or an operation. Whether orthobiological treatment options may play a role in the future is presently uncertain.