NEW YORK – Shock wave therapy is useless for the treatment of tennis elbow, researchers informed. “There is currently no place for shock wave therapy in the management of tennis elbow,” Dr. Rachelle Buchbinder from Monash University, Australia.

Tennis elbow, common injury caused due to the overuse of tendons around the outer side of the elbow. As the name explains, it often arises in racquet-sport devotees, but can also occur with repetitive arm motions such as, constant use of screwdriver, hammering or painting.

Though tennis elbow usually improves on its own but may persist in some people. So-called extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been tested to treat tennis elbow, in which shock waves are focused on the problem area. ESWT is believed to work by causing microscopic injuries to the affected tissue that stimulate the healing process.

However, “high-quality” evidence for the benefits of ESWT for tennis elbow is lacking. Buchbinder examined whether three ESWT sessions on alternate weeks, reduced pain and improved function in 68 patients with tennis elbow.

Patients treated with ESWT and “control” patients who were given a “sub therapeutic” dose of shock wave therapy, showed similar reduction in pain and improved function at 6 months, the investigators found.

There were no significant differences between the groups in any outcome measure at the 6-week and 6-month follow-up visits.

“Our study found little evidence to support the use of ESWT for the treatment of tennis elbow. The evidence from high quality trials with low risk of bias and high quality systematic reviews have yet to find that shock wave therapy is of value.” Buchbinder and colleagues conclude in a report of the study.