New Treatment Methods for Lateral Epicondylitis

Lateral epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, is a common overuse injury that causes pain and reduces function of the tendons around the elbow. This essay analyzes multiple studies comparing conventional treatments with three emerging treatments for tennis elbow, focusing on platelet-rich plasma (PRP), extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), and mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy. For PRP therapy, research suggests that it can improve pain and elbow function within at least 52 weeks, but the scores decrease when the time reaches 104 weeks. The second therapy, ESWT, also improves pain and grip strength over a period of 6 months, but the results remain inconsistent among studies. While early research of mensenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy reports enhancement in pain and function. However, current studies are generally limited by small sample sizes and insufficient long-term evidence. Overall, these three treatments may provide valuable alternatives for patients who seem to experience no effects under conventional care, but none of them can be considered universally effective.