COMPARISON OF THE CLINICAL AND SONOGRAPHIC EFFECTS OF ULTRASOUND THERAPY, EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK WAVE THERAPY AND KINESIO TAPING IN LATERAL EPICONDYLITIS.

BACKGROUND/AIM The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and sonographic effects of the ultrasound (US) therapy, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), and Kinesio taping (KT) in the lateral epicondylitis (LE). MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 40 patients with LE were included in the present study. The patients were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: US (n = 13), ESWT (n = 14), and KT (n = 13) groups. RESULTS The visual analog scale (VAS) scores significantly decreased in all groups (p < 0.05). Grip strength significantly increased after eight weeks in only the KT group (p < 0.05). The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation Scale (PRTEE) scores significantly decreased after two weeks and after eight weeks in the US and ESWT groups and after eight weeks in the KT group (p < 0.05). The common extensor tendon (CET) thicknesses significantly decreased after eight weeks in only the ESWT group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The US therapy, KT, and ESWT are effective in reducing pain and improving functionality. However, none of these treatment methods were found to be superior to the others in reducing the pain and improving functionality.