TY - JOUR
T1 - The efficacy of prolotherapy for lateral epicondylosis
T2 - A pilot study
AU - Scarpone, Michael
AU - Rabago, David P.
AU - Zgierska, Aleksandra
AU - Arbogast, Gennie
AU - Snell, Edward
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2008/5
Y1 - 2008/5
N2 - OBJECTIVES: To assess whether prolotherapy, an injection-based therapy, improves elbow pain, grip strength, and extension strength in patients with lateral epicondylosis. SETTING: Outpatient Sport Medicine clinic. STUDY DESIGN: Double-blind randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four adults with at least 6 months of refractory lateral epicondylosis. INTERVENTION: Prolotherapy participants received injections of a solution made from 1 part 5% sodium morrhuate, 1.5 parts 50% dextrose, 0.5 parts 4% lidocaine, 0.5 parts 0.5% sensorcaine and 3.5 parts normal saline. Controls received injections of 0.9% saline. Three 0.5-mL injections were made at the supracondylar ridge, lateral epicondyle, and annular ligament at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was resting elbow pain (0 to 10 Likert scale). Secondary outcomes were extension and grip strength. Each was performed at baseline and at 8 and 16 weeks. One-year follow-up included pain assessment and effect of pain on activities of daily living. RESULTS: The groups were similar at baseline. Compared to Controls, Prolotherapy subjects reported improved pain scores (4.5 ± 1.7, 3.6 ± 1.2, and 3.5 ± 1.5 versus 5.1 ± 0.8, 3.3 ± 0.9, and 0.5 ± 0.4 at baseline and at 8 and 16 weeks, respectively). At 16 weeks, these differences were significant compared to baseline scores within and among groups (P < 0.001). Prolotherapy subjects also reported improved extension strength compared to Controls (P < 0.01) and improved grip strength compared to baseline (P < 0.05). Clinical improvement in Prolotherapy group subjects was maintained at 52 weeks. There were no adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Prolotherapy with dextrose and sodium morrhuate was well tolerated, effectively decreased elbow pain, and improved strength testing in subjects with refractory lateral epicondylosis compared to Control group injections.
AB - OBJECTIVES: To assess whether prolotherapy, an injection-based therapy, improves elbow pain, grip strength, and extension strength in patients with lateral epicondylosis. SETTING: Outpatient Sport Medicine clinic. STUDY DESIGN: Double-blind randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four adults with at least 6 months of refractory lateral epicondylosis. INTERVENTION: Prolotherapy participants received injections of a solution made from 1 part 5% sodium morrhuate, 1.5 parts 50% dextrose, 0.5 parts 4% lidocaine, 0.5 parts 0.5% sensorcaine and 3.5 parts normal saline. Controls received injections of 0.9% saline. Three 0.5-mL injections were made at the supracondylar ridge, lateral epicondyle, and annular ligament at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was resting elbow pain (0 to 10 Likert scale). Secondary outcomes were extension and grip strength. Each was performed at baseline and at 8 and 16 weeks. One-year follow-up included pain assessment and effect of pain on activities of daily living. RESULTS: The groups were similar at baseline. Compared to Controls, Prolotherapy subjects reported improved pain scores (4.5 ± 1.7, 3.6 ± 1.2, and 3.5 ± 1.5 versus 5.1 ± 0.8, 3.3 ± 0.9, and 0.5 ± 0.4 at baseline and at 8 and 16 weeks, respectively). At 16 weeks, these differences were significant compared to baseline scores within and among groups (P < 0.001). Prolotherapy subjects also reported improved extension strength compared to Controls (P < 0.01) and improved grip strength compared to baseline (P < 0.05). Clinical improvement in Prolotherapy group subjects was maintained at 52 weeks. There were no adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Prolotherapy with dextrose and sodium morrhuate was well tolerated, effectively decreased elbow pain, and improved strength testing in subjects with refractory lateral epicondylosis compared to Control group injections.
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U2 - 10.1097/JSM.0b013e318170fc87
DO - 10.1097/JSM.0b013e318170fc87
M3 - Article
C2 - 18469566
AN - SCOPUS:43449128113
VL - 18
SP - 248
EP - 254
JO - Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine
JF - Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine
SN - 1050-642X
IS - 3
ER -