Is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow? A literature review
Introduction:Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, affects around 1% to 3% of the population, causing pain and functional limitations, yet its exact causes and degenerative mechanisms are still not fully understood. Research indicates that tendinopathy primarily arises from new blood vessel forma...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Quality in Sport |
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| Online Access: | https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/57800 |
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| author | Filip Grabowski Natalia Rulewska Dagmara Neska Jakub Siemko Jakub Chodkowski Dominika Prystacka-Szar Justyna Stadler-Szajda Adrianna Czyżnikiewicz Wenancjusz Stołowski Magdalena Bujak Magdalena Waśniowska |
| author_facet | Filip Grabowski Natalia Rulewska Dagmara Neska Jakub Siemko Jakub Chodkowski Dominika Prystacka-Szar Justyna Stadler-Szajda Adrianna Czyżnikiewicz Wenancjusz Stołowski Magdalena Bujak Magdalena Waśniowska |
| author_sort | Filip Grabowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Introduction:Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, affects around 1% to 3% of the population, causing pain and functional limitations, yet its exact causes and degenerative mechanisms are still not fully understood. Research indicates that tendinopathy primarily arises from new blood vessel formation and collagen fiber disruptions, while tennis elbow complicates diagnosis and treatment due to a mix of biomechanics, occupational factors, and individual variations. Despite various treatments available for tennis elbow, no single option is universally recognized as superior, with the primary recommendation being to rest from activities that worsen the condition. To alleviate pain after exercising, options include applying ice, using oral or topical NSAIDs, or exploring corticosteroid therapy, with more invasive treatments like dry needling being effective for managing myofascial pain and trigger points when basic methods fall short.
Aim: The aim of this article is to explore the underlying mechanisms of tennis elbow and assess the effectiveness of treating it through dry needling.
Review methods: A comprehensive analysis of research papers available on PubMed and Google Scholar was undertaken using the searchterms encompassing the following keywords: tennis elbow, lateral epicondylitis, dry needling, tennis elbow pathophysiology.
Conclusion: Dry needling has shown success in relieving symptoms of chronic lateral epicondylosis that haven't improved with standard therapies. This method is safe, cost-effective, and can be carried out by practitioners skilled in upper extremity anatomy and rehabilitation, but further extensive research with larger sample sizes, randomization, and control groups is needed to more accurately assess the effectiveness of dry needling for treating tendinopathies.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-04495d83da504d09a34d75b19e6b9bae |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2450-3118 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Quality in Sport |
| spelling | doaj-art-04495d83da504d09a34d75b19e6b9bae2025-01-28T08:25:01ZengNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńQuality in Sport2450-31182025-01-013710.12775/QS.2025.37.57800Is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow? A literature reviewFilip Grabowski0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0466-2764Natalia Rulewska1https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4515-7403Dagmara Neska2https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1900-954XJakub Siemko3https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9318-9458Jakub Chodkowski4https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7097-4435Dominika Prystacka-Szar5https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6533-4247Justyna Stadler-Szajda6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1742-1835Adrianna Czyżnikiewicz7https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4541-7175Wenancjusz Stołowski8https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0317-1212Magdalena Bujak9https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9274-3595Magdalena Waśniowska10https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0614-8307Provincial Specialist Hospital in Ciechanów St. Powstańców Wielkopolskich 2, 06-400 Ciechanów, PolandProvincial Specialist Hospital in Ciechanów St. Powstańców Wielkopolskich 2, 06-400 Ciechanów, PolandLudwika Błażka Provincial Multi-Specialist Hospital in Inowrocław St. Poznańska 97, 88-100 Inowrocław, PolandLudwika Błażka Provincial Multi-Specialist Hospital in Inowrocław St. Poznańska 97, 88-100 Inowrocław, PolandProvincial Specialist Hospital in Ciechanów St. Powstańców Wielkopolskich 2, 06-400 Ciechanów, PolandLudwik Rydygier Memorial Specialized Hospital in Krakow Osiedle Złotej Jesieni 1, 31-820 KrakówLudwika Błażka Provincial Multi-Specialist Hospital in Inowrocław St. Poznańska 97, 88-100 Inowrocław, PolandLudwika Błażka Provincial Multi-Specialist Hospital in Inowrocław St. Poznańska 97, 88-100 Inowrocław, PolandLudwika Błażka Provincial Multi-Specialist Hospital in Inowrocław St. Poznańska 97, 88-100 Inowrocław, PolandKrakow University Hospital St. Macieja Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688 Kraków, PolandStefana Żeromskiego Specialist Hospital in Kraków Os. Na Skarpie 66, 31-913 Kraków, Poland Introduction:Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, affects around 1% to 3% of the population, causing pain and functional limitations, yet its exact causes and degenerative mechanisms are still not fully understood. Research indicates that tendinopathy primarily arises from new blood vessel formation and collagen fiber disruptions, while tennis elbow complicates diagnosis and treatment due to a mix of biomechanics, occupational factors, and individual variations. Despite various treatments available for tennis elbow, no single option is universally recognized as superior, with the primary recommendation being to rest from activities that worsen the condition. To alleviate pain after exercising, options include applying ice, using oral or topical NSAIDs, or exploring corticosteroid therapy, with more invasive treatments like dry needling being effective for managing myofascial pain and trigger points when basic methods fall short. Aim: The aim of this article is to explore the underlying mechanisms of tennis elbow and assess the effectiveness of treating it through dry needling. Review methods: A comprehensive analysis of research papers available on PubMed and Google Scholar was undertaken using the searchterms encompassing the following keywords: tennis elbow, lateral epicondylitis, dry needling, tennis elbow pathophysiology. Conclusion: Dry needling has shown success in relieving symptoms of chronic lateral epicondylosis that haven't improved with standard therapies. This method is safe, cost-effective, and can be carried out by practitioners skilled in upper extremity anatomy and rehabilitation, but further extensive research with larger sample sizes, randomization, and control groups is needed to more accurately assess the effectiveness of dry needling for treating tendinopathies. https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/57800tennis elbowlateral epicondylitisdry needlingtennis elbow pathophysiology |
| spellingShingle | Filip Grabowski Natalia Rulewska Dagmara Neska Jakub Siemko Jakub Chodkowski Dominika Prystacka-Szar Justyna Stadler-Szajda Adrianna Czyżnikiewicz Wenancjusz Stołowski Magdalena Bujak Magdalena Waśniowska Is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow? A literature review Quality in Sport tennis elbow lateral epicondylitis dry needling tennis elbow pathophysiology |
| title | Is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow? A literature review |
| title_full | Is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow? A literature review |
| title_fullStr | Is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow? A literature review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow? A literature review |
| title_short | Is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow? A literature review |
| title_sort | is dry needling an effective treatment for tennis elbow a literature review |
| topic | tennis elbow lateral epicondylitis dry needling tennis elbow pathophysiology |
| url | https://apcz.umk.pl/QS/article/view/57800 |
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