Ultrasound? or Acupuncture? Either will do!
Sixteen (16) patients with lateral epicondylitis were randomly assigned to an ultrasound group (8) or an acupuncture group (8). Both groups were treated 2-3 times/week for a total of 8 treatments. The ultrasound group received treatment at 20% duty cycle (4:1) 1MHz, 1W/cm2 for 10 minutes.
The acupuncture group received manual acupuncture to LI4, TW5, LI10, LI11, LI12 for 20 minutes.
Result:Both US and acupuncture were effective at significantly reducing pain levels, pain free grip strength, and disability scores (p<0.05) over the 8-treatment period.
Acupuncture was significantly more effective than US in reducing pain immediately following each treatment session (p<0.05).
Clinical Relevance: This study supports the use of either Ultrasound or acupuncture in treating lateral epicondylitis.
Personal Comment:10 minutes of US takes up a significant portion of a treatment session, perhaps SOME patients (if appropriate) may be shown how to US themselves.
Posted on: April 04, 2002
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