The efficacy of injection of steroids for lateral epicondylitis

Abstract EN

Aim of Work: To analyze the short-term effects of the local injection of methylprednisolone in the treatment oft lateral epicondylitis.

Material: Eighty patients who attended the Outpatient Clinic of the Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Department at Al-Hussien University Hospital.

They were diagnosed as having isolated tennis elbow.

Methods: The patients were divided into two groups.

The first group (treatment group) was assigned to a single injection of 1 percent xylocain with 40 milligrams of methylprednisolone.

The second group (control group) also received 1 percent of xylocain & 1 ml of saline solution.

Both groups were also managed with physical therapy and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Results: The two groups were not singnificantly different with regard to age, gender, duration of symptoms, degree of pain before the injection, or dominance of upper limbs involved.

Six-weeks after the injection, the experimental group had singnificantly less pain than the control group (p<0.03) as determined with a modification of the grading system of Nirschi and Pettrone.

However, the two groups did not differ as regards pain after three months and one year.

The two groups did not differ in the intensity of pain as measured on a visual analog scale six weeks, one year and two years after the injection.

Conclusion: We believe that the improvement observed in both groups primarily reflects the natural history of the disorder.

We conclude that the local injection of steroids provides only short-term benefits in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis.