Bateman M, Whitby E, Kacha S, Salt E
Physiotherapy Department, Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Derby, UK.
Physiotherapy Department, Burton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Burton on Trent, UK.
Musculoskeletal Care. 2018 Jun;16(2):322-326. doi: 10.1002/msc.1236. Epub 2018 Feb 22.
Tennis elbow is a common painful condition that may affect daily function and ability to work. Physiotherapy is the most commonly used primary intervention but there is a wide range of treatment options within the umbrella of physiotherapy. Our aim was to report on the treatments that are currently used by physiotherapists in a UK National Health Service (NHS) setting.
A retrospective service evaluation was conducted at two NHS hospital trusts by reviewing patient attendance records over a 1-year period. All patients with tennis elbow were included, except those referred for postoperative rehabilitation. Patient notes were analysed using a predefined assessment template.
A total of 65 patient records were identified, with patients having a mean age 48 years and mean symptom duration of 5.4 months. The mean treatment duration was 64 days, over 3.7 sessions. The most commonly used treatments were education and exercise, although the type and dosing of exercise varied greatly. Passive modalities such as ice, taping, manual therapy, acupuncture and electrotherapy were still used.
Wide variations in treatment approaches were identified. There was no consistency in the choice of modality used, the type of exercise or the dose of exercise prescribed. The use of passive modalities and corticosteroid injections was found to remain commonplace, despite a lack of supporting research evidence. There is a clear need for evidence-based guidance for physiotherapists treating patients with tennis elbow.
网球肘是一种常见的疼痛病症，可能会影响日常功能和工作能力。物理治疗是最常用的主要干预措施，但在物理治疗的范畴内有多种治疗选择。我们的目的是报告英国国民医疗服务体系（NHS）环境下物理治疗师目前使用的治疗方法。
通过回顾两个NHS医院信托机构1年内的患者就诊记录进行回顾性服务评估。纳入所有网球肘患者，但不包括那些被转诊进行术后康复的患者。使用预定义的评估模板分析患者病历。
共识别出65份患者记录，患者的平均年龄为48岁，平均症状持续时间为5.4个月。平均治疗时长为64天，超过3.7个疗程。最常用的治疗方法是教育和运动，尽管运动的类型和剂量差异很大。冰敷、贴扎、手法治疗、针灸和电疗等被动治疗方式仍在使用。
发现治疗方法存在很大差异。在使用的治疗方式选择、运动类型或规定的运动量方面没有一致性。尽管缺乏支持性研究证据，但被动治疗方式和皮质类固醇注射的使用仍很普遍。显然需要为治疗网球肘患者的物理治疗师提供循证指南。
