Treating Lateral Epicondylopathy With Dry Needling and Exercise: A Case Series.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Physical Therapy
• Pain Management

Background:

• Lateral epicondylopathy (LE) is a prevalent overuse injury impacting forearm extensor muscles and tendons.
• It causes pain and weakness, affecting wrist and hand function.
• Conservative treatments include mobilization, self-care, and anti-inflammatories, but novel approaches are explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of in situ dry needling with electrical stimulation combined with therapeutic exercise for LE.
• To evaluate this combined approach in a series of three patient cases.

Main Methods:

• Three patients with LE received weekly dry needling for six weeks, alongside a home exercise program.
• Interventions included dry needling at eight upper-extremity locations with two electrical stimulation channels.
• Clinical assessments included grip strength, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, and Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) scores at baseline and bi-weekly intervals.

Main Results:

• Patients demonstrated significant improvements in grip strength, pain reduction (VAS), and functional scores (PRTEE) over the six-week treatment period.
• The dry needling intervention with electrical stimulation and exercise led to notable functional gains and pain relief.
• Observed improvements exceeded the minimum clinically important difference for LE.

Conclusions:

• Dry needling combined with a home exercise program offers a safe and effective short-term treatment for lateral epicondylopathy.
• This approach resulted in substantial pain reduction (80-100%) and functional improvements in the studied cases.
• The findings support this dry needling technique as a viable option for managing LE symptoms.