Comparative Study to Observe the Effect of TENS and UST in Lateral Epicondylitis

Abstract

Background: Lateral Epicondylitis (LE), also known as "Tennis Elbow," affects the upper extremities. Many management methods were tested in clinical studies. No single strategy works. Therapeutic ultrasonography can cure lateral epicondylitis noninvasively and cheaply. Several studies found a placebo effect. TENS for lateral epicondylitis is popular due to its low cost, ease, non-invasiveness, and limited contraindications. Objective: The study compares UST and TENS for lateral epicondylitis. Methods: After protocol approval, the DMCH Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department conducted this six-month randomized clinical experiment. Lateral epicondylitis outpatients were invited. 30 TENS patients and 30 UST patients had lateral epicondylitis. Lottery randomization (1:1) separated them into two groups for data analysis: Group A: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, NSAIDs, omeprazole, therapeutic exercise; Group B: ultrasonography therapy. All patients got conservative treatment and therapeutic exercise for 6 weeks. Final follow-up was 6 weeks following initial appointment. Participants provided written consent. SPSS 21 analyzed data. Results: The study population's mean age was 38.78 ± 6.09 SD (years) [31-50 years], with 54.1% male and 44.3% female. The mean age of UST and TENS groups was 39.53±6.16 and 38.03±6.01 SD (years), respectively, and age distribution was similar (P>.05). 93% of patients involved the right hand, 7% the left. Baseline grip strength and VAS scores were 33.63±71 and 33.80±8.38 in USG and TENS groups, respectively. Before intervention, the group distribution was homogenous (p>0.05). After 6 weeks, both groups showed significant improvement in VAS score and grip strength (UST-2.50±1.43 vs TENS 3.40±0.97 and UST-40.63±7.66 vs TENS 38.50±9.06; p<.001). Over six weeks, UST group had greater VAS and grip strength changes than TENS group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Lateral epicondylitis treatment is better with UST than TENS. However, a bigger randomized controlled trial is advised due to the study's small sample size.