Evidenced-Based Management of Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylosis (LE) is a frequent cause of elbow pain affecting patients between 30 and 55 years of age. Although symptoms in most cases are self-limited, pain may persist and be refractory to conservative management. This review article will present evidence-based recommendations about conservative and interventional management options available for LE. Conservative management aimed at reducing pain with a short course of topical or oral anti-inflammatory medications, activity modification, correction of kinetic chain dysfunction, and the use of an exercise progression from isometric to eccentric exercise can be performed in the acute stage of the disease. If patients persist with pain and disability, nonsurgical interventional techniques such as corticosteroid injections, platelet-rich plasma injections, or other regenerative techniques such as extracorporeal shock wave therapy have shown evidence in improving patients’ pain in the subacute and chronic phases of the disease. LE is the most common disorder of the arm causing disability. Treatment options range from conservative to surgical interventions. Continued research on nonsurgical interventional techniques that effectively treat pain and improve function in patients with LE is required to guide treatment.