Design
Randomized, controlled, single blinded trial.
Setting
Nonprofit research foundation clinic in Kerala, India.
Participants
Computer professionals (N=68) with LE.
Interventions
MFR group or control group. The techniques were administered by certified MFR practitioners and consisted of 12 sessions per client over 4 weeks.
Main Outcome Measure
The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) scale was used to assess pain severity and functional disability. The primary outcome measure was the difference in PRTEE scale scores between week 1 (pretest score), week 4 (posttest score), and follow-up at week 12 after randomization.
Results
The simple main effects analysis showed that the MFR group performed better than the control group in weeks 4 and 12 (P<.005). Patients in the MFR and control groups reported a 78.7% and 6.8% reduction, respectively, in their pain and functional disability in week 4 compared with that in week 1, which persisted as 63.1% in the follow-up at week 12 in the MFR group.
Conclusions
This study provides evidence that MFR is more effective than a control intervention for LE in computer professionals.
Key Words
- Rehabilitation;
- Tennis elbow
List of Abbreviations
- ANOVA,analysis of variance;
- ECRB,extensor carpi radialis brevis;
- LE,lateral epicondylitis;
- MFR,myofascial release;
- PRTEE,Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation
- Supported by a Kerala state government grant throughMahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India.