The effectiveness of phonophoresis with ketoprofen in the treatment of epicondylopathy.

Background. This article examines the therapeutic effects of phonophoresis with ketoprofen in gel form in patients with enthesopathy of the elbow. Ultrasonic therapy and phonophoresis have their primary application in the physical therapy of this disorder. The main aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of phonophoresis. Material and methods. The research group consisted of 19 patients diagnosed with enthesopathy of the lateral and medial epicondyle. In the statistical analysis we included 28 elbow joints treated with phonophoresis. The effects of therapy were compared with a control group of 20 patients who were treated with only ultrasound therapy. The therapeutic series consisted of 10 treatments, using the pulse mode of ultrasound and an intensity of 0.8 W/cm2 in both groups. The clinical examination (objective assessment) and interview (subjective assessment) consisted of specific tests, and were separately collected. Reasults. The positive effects of phonophoresis using a pharmacologically active gel with ketoprofen were shown to be highly significant in both assessments, objective and subjective. The pain symptoms in the elbow resolved in most of the patients. There were statistically significant differences between phonophoresis and ultrasound therapy. Conclusions. Our results support the application of phonophoresis with ketoprofen in the treatment of epicondylitis.