The effects of the addition of Mulligan mobilization with movement to exercise on elbow pain and function associated with lateral elbow tendinopathy.

BACKGROUND

Mulligan mobilization with movement (MWM) and eccentric exercise (EE) have been shown to be effective for the treatment of chronic lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET). However, the addition of MWM to EE effects on LET remained unknown. The objective of the study was to determine the effects of adding of Mulligan mobilization with movement to eccentric exercise for the treatment of LET.

METHODS

In this quasi-experimental study, thirty participants with unilateral LET were assigned into two groups: 15 in MWM (received MWM + EE) (7 M and 8 F, mean age 36.8 ± 8.3 years) and 15 in EE (9 M and 6 F, mean age 46 ± 8.1 years). Both groups received education about painful activities and eccentric exercise, while the MWM group received MWM with the same eccentric exercise as the EE group. The visual analog scale (VAS) and the patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) were used to assess pain and upper limb function, respectively, at baseline and at the end of 4 weeks. The data was analyzed using an independent t-test and a paired t-test.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between groups at baseline. At the end of 4 weeks, significant and clinically meaningful improvements in pain and function were observed for both groups (p < 0.001); however, MWM group showed much better results in VAS (p < 0.001, d = 1.3) and PRTEE (p < 0.001, d = 5.2) CONCLUSION: This study showed that adding MWM to eccentric exercise resulted in enhanced pain reduction and improved function of the upper limb.