Influence of an Epicondylitis Orthosis on Patients with Lateral Epicondylitis and Healthy Controls

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to determine possible effects of an elbow orthosis in patients with lateral epicondylitis and healthy volunteers on pain, pressure tolerance at the epicondylus, angle reproduction of elbow motion and extension force of the fingers. Patients and Methods: This study included 44 patients with lateral epicondylitis (mean dura-tion of symptoms 17.3 months) and 27 healthy people without elbow disease in the past. Pain analysis was performed using a visual analog scale (VAS) from 0 to 10, the angle reproduction error was measured in active and passive elbow movements. Tolerance of pain at the epicondylus and force of extension of the fingers 2-4 was measured. All measurements were performed at start of the therapy without the orthosis and with orthosis at the elbow and after 9 days of wearing the orthosis with and without orthosis. Results: The pain VAS reduced statistically significant from 3.6 before wearing the orthosis to 2.7 with orthosis at begin of the therapy in the patients. After 9 days this value drops to 1.3 with orthosis and the same value without orthosis. The error of angle reproduction with passive elbow motions reduced from the first measurement without orthosis to the third measurement with orthosis after 9 days statistically significant (p < 0.05) in patients and healthy control group. There were no significant differences of this values between patients and the healthy group. No significant changes of tolerated pressure at the epicondylus were observed. The tolerated pressure in the healthy group was twice as high as that of the patients with and without orthosis (p < 0.001). No trend was found in finger exten-sion force. This values were significantly lower in patients than in the healthy groups during all measurements. Discussion: During the therapy with the elbow orthosis pain showed a significant decrease on VAS in the patient group. No changes in pressure tolerance or extension force of the fingers was observed. Conclusion: In patients and healthy people a significant reduction of angle reproduction error during passive elbow motions was observed. This indicates positive effects of the orthosis on proprioception of the elbow.