Tennis Elbow Acupuncture International Study - China, Hong Kong, Australia and Italy

This research is to find out whether there are any health benefits using acupuncture for people with lateral elbow pain. Lateral elbow pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal pains of the arm with estimated population incidence of 1-3% (Fink et al 2002). Ninety percent of patients can initially be cured with conservative treatment and rest; however the complaint frequently recurs after resumption of work or sport (Fink et al 2002). Optimum treatment in primary care is still unclear (Webster-Harrison et al 2009). In the past 10 years acupuncture has become increasingly recognised as an alternative treatment for pain, including lateral elbow pain (Trinh et al 2004). In a publication by the United States National Institutes of Health it was determined that acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative treatment for tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) (NIH Consensus Development Panel on Acupuncture 1998). Based on the largely positive results obtained from a pilot study, negotiations over the last twelve months have resulted in our international colleagues enthusiastic to advance this project to an international study. The aim/hypothesis of the study is; does acupuncture treatment compared to sham laser improve physical functioning and a reduction in symptoms for people with chronic tennis elbow pain? References: Fink, M, Wolkenstein, E, Karst, M and Gehrke, A 2002, 'Acupuncture in chronic epicondylitis: a randomized controlled trial', Rheumatology, vol. 41, pp. 205-209. NIH 1998, 'NIH consensus conference: acupuncture', vol. 280(17), JAMA, pp. 1518-1524. Trinh, K V, Phillips, S D, Ho, E and Damsma, K 2004, 'Acupuncture for the alleviation of lateral epicondyle pain: s systematic review', Rheumatology, vol. 43, pp. 1085-1090. Webster-Harrison, P, White, A and Rae, J 2009, 'Acupuncture for tennis elbow: An e-mail consensus study to define a standardised treatment in a GPs' surgery', Acupuncture in Medicine, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 181-185.