Summary: | Background: Lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow, is one of the common
disorders in humans. Despite recommended treatments, there is no definite
therapy for this disorder. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to review scientific
reports on the effects of orthotic devices for treatment (comparing orthoses
with other treatments related to lateral epicondylitis parameters), reducing
complications, and improving symptoms of this condition.
Methods: Ovid, Scopus, and Web of science were searched to identify studies
which reported the effectiveness of orthotic treatment for lateral epicondylitis
from 1996 until 2017. Studies were collected based on the inclusion criteria
and a few were selected out of a large number of studies. The PEDro scale was
used for the quality assessment of the selected articles.
Results: A total of 43 articles were chosen, 16 articles on Orthotics vs. other
nonsurgical treatments, 20 articles on the comparison of different orthotics,
and 7 reviews.
Conclusion: Based on the results of the selected papers, there was not
sufficient evidence to decide on the effectiveness among several orthoses or
for comparing orthotic treatment with other treatment methods. However, it
should be emphasized that the use of orthosis can be an acceptable treatment
for improving some symptoms of this condition such as pain, grip, pain-free
grip, no pain, grip strength, function, ROM, and proprioception.
|