J Bone Joint Surg Br
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J Bone Joint Surg Br · Jan 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialLocal corticosteroid injection versus Cyriax-type physiotherapy for tennis elbow.
We performed a prospective, randomised trial on 106 patients to compare the effects of local corticosteroid injections with physiotherapy as advocated by Cyriax in the treatment of tennis elbow. The main outcome measures were the severity of pain, pain provoked by resisted dorsiflexion of the wrist, and patient satisfaction. At six weeks 22 of 53 patients in the injection group were free from pain compared with only three in the physiotherapy group. ⋯ After one year there were no significant differences between the two groups. Half of the patients, however, had received only the initial treatment, 20% had had combined therapy and 30% had had surgery. We conclude that at six weeks, treatment with corticosteroid injections was more effective than Cyriax physiotherapy and we recommend it because of its rapid action, reduction of pain and absence of side-effects.