Öznur Öken, Yasar Kahraman, Figen Ayhan, Sabahat Canpolat, Z. Rezan Yorgancioglu, Ö. Fuad Öken
The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and to compare these with the effects of brace or ultrasound (US) treatment in tennis elbow. 58 patients were divided into three groups: 1) brace group—brace plus exercise, 2) ultrasound group—US plus exercise, and 3) laser group—LLLT plus exercise. VAS improved significantly in all groups after the treatment and in the ultrasound and laser groups at the sixth week. Grip strength of the affected hand increased only in the laser group after treatment, but was not changed at the sixth week. There were no significant differences between the groups on VAS and grip strength at baseline and at follow-up assessments. The results show that, in patients with lateral epicondylitis, a brace has a shorter beneficial effect than US and laser therapy in reducing pain, and that laser therapy is more effective than the brace and US treatment in improving grip strength.
Journal of Hand Therapy. 2008, 21(1), 63-68