The predictive value of extensor grip test for the effectiveness of treatment for tennis elbow.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effectiveness of 5 different modalities, and determine the usefulness of recently proposed extensor grip test (EGT) in predicting the response to treatment.

METHODS

In a randomized controlled clinical trial, 92 of 98 tennis elbow patients in Sina Hospital Tehran, Iran between 2006 and 2007 fulfilled the trial entry criteria. Among these patients 56 (60.9%) had positive EGT result. The stratified EGT result, were randomly allocated to 5 treatment groups: brace, physiotherapy, brace plus physiotherapy, injection, and injection plus physiotherapy.

RESULTS

Patients with a positive EGT result had better response to treatments. Among them, injection plus physiotherapy was the most successful, then brace plus physiotherapy, physiotherapy, and brace injection was the worst treatment modality. Response to treatment was comparable in all groups between EGT positive and negative patients except bracing, in which positive EGT was correlated with a dramatic response to treatment.

CONCLUSION

In all patients, injection plus physiotherapy and then brace plus physiotherapy is recommended, but in EGT negatives, bracing seems to be of no use. Injection alone is not recommended in either group.