Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Family Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology Section, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Ups J Med Sci. 2011 Nov;116(4):269-79. doi: 10.3109/03009734.2011.600476.
Chronic tennis elbow (lateral epicondylosis) is a common disorder. Like other chronic soft-tissue pain conditions it is often difficult to treat successfully. The effects of exercise have been discussed, but no convincing evidence has been put forward so far, and a simple protocol for exercise is lacking.
This study is a randomized, controlled, clinical trial of the effect of exercise versus expectation (wait-list) on pain, muscle strength, function, and quality of life in patients with long-standing lateral epicondylosis.
Eighty-one subjects with tennis elbow lasting for more than 3 months were randomly allocated to an exercise group (n = 40) or a reference group (n = 41). The exercise group performed daily exercise, with weekly load increase, for 3 months. The reference group was wait-listed, but otherwise followed in the same way. Outcome measures were pain during maximum voluntary muscle contraction (Cozen's test) and pain during maximum muscle elongation with a load (modified Empty-can-test); muscle strength was measured with a Chatillon MSE 100 hand-held dynamometer, and the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) and the Gothenburg Quality of Life questionnaires.
The exercise group had greater and faster regression of pain, both during muscle contraction and muscle elongation, than the reference group (p = 0.0005 and p = 0.0016, respectively). There was a non-significant muscle strength difference between the groups, but no differences regarding DASH scores or quality of life measures.
Exercise appears to be superior to expectation in reducing pain in chronic lateral epicondylosis.
慢性网球肘（外上髁炎）是一种常见疾病。与其他慢性软组织疼痛疾病一样，它通常难以成功治疗。运动的效果已经被讨论过，但迄今为止没有提出令人信服的证据，并且缺乏简单的运动方案。
本研究是一项针对慢性外上髁炎患者的随机、对照、临床试验，旨在评估运动与期望（候补名单）对疼痛、肌肉力量、功能和生活质量的影响。
81 名患有持续 3 个月以上网球肘的患者被随机分配到运动组（n = 40）或对照组（n = 41）。运动组每天进行运动，每周增加负荷，持续 3 个月。对照组为候补名单，但以相同的方式进行随访。主要结局指标为最大自主肌肉收缩时的疼痛（Cozen 测试）和最大肌肉伸展时的疼痛（改良空罐测试）；肌肉力量用 Chatillon MSE 100 手持测力计测量，采用残疾手臂、肩部和手问卷（DASH）和哥德堡生活质量问卷进行评估。
与对照组相比，运动组的疼痛在肌肉收缩和肌肉伸展时都有更大和更快的缓解（p = 0.0005 和 p = 0.0016）。两组之间的肌肉力量差异无统计学意义，但 DASH 评分或生活质量测量指标无差异。
运动在缓解慢性外上髁炎疼痛方面似乎优于期望。
