Comparison of the effects of Kinesio tape and high‐intensity laser therapy applied in conjunction with physical therapy on pain, grip strength, and functional level in patients with lateral epicondylitis: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of various conventional treatments for lateral epicondylitis, but it is still unclear which treatment is most effective. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of Kinesio tape (KT) and high-intensity laser therapy (HILT), applied in conjunction with physical therapy (PT), on pain, hand grip strength, functional status, and pain sensitivity in chronic lateral epicondylitis. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Tertiary hospital physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis. METHODS: A total of 53 patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis were included in this randomized controlled study and were randomly assigned into three groups: PT-only group (n = 17), HILT group (n = 18), and KT group (n = 18). The PT-only group received PT; the KT group received PT and KT; and the HILT group received PT and HILT. The treatment period was 2 weeks, with five sessions per week. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Visual Analog Scale (VAS), hand grip strength, Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE), and pain sensitivity were assessed before treatment, at the end of treatment (week 2), and at week 6. Treatment effects were analyzed using a mixed-design analysis of variance. RESULTS: A statistically significant interaction between group and time was found for VAS and PRTEE scores (p < .001). The main effects of time revealed statistically significant differences in the mean values of VAS and PRTEE (p < .001). In all groups, VAS and PRTEE measurements at weeks 2 and 6 showed statistically and clinically significant improvements compared to pretreatment values. A statistically significant difference between week 2 and week 6 was found only in the HILT group (p = .024 and p < .001, respectively). There was no statistically significant interaction between group and time for hand grip strength and pain sensitivity. CONCLUSION: HILT with PT resulted in better outcomes in terms of pain and function compared to PT alone and PT combined with KT.