Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis With Botulinum Toxin: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is a common cause of chronic elbow pain and wrist extensor dysfunction in adults, affecting 1% to 3% of the general population per year.

There is currently no consensus on its optimal treatment with wide-ranging options available. The best available scientific evidence suggests that only topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and possibly, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be useful for short term pain relief, while corticosteroid injections presented both benefits and harms as a short term measure.

Botulinum toxin has been reported in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis with promising results but these studies lack a control group bringing up the question whether recovery was a result of intervention or the natural history of the disease.

Method:

A twin-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which all patients received either a botulinum injection or a placebo saline injection.