A multisite international study of Tennis elbow

3^rd International Conference and Exhibition on Traditional & Alternative Medicine

August 03-05, 2015 Birmingham, UK

Shi Ping

University Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Altern Integr Med

Abstract :

Acupuncture has been used for improving lateral epicondylitis. An international, multisite trial was conducted recently to assess the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for tennis elbow. The trial is called Tennis Elbow Acupuncture-International Study-China, Hong Kong, Australia and Italy, or TEA-IS-CHAI, and it involves four institutions (Changchun University of TCM, China, Hong Kong Baptist University, University of Technology, Sydney and IstitutoParacelso-Italy) across four countries and regions with the World Federation of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) being the coordinator. After completion of a pilot study to determine the appropriateness of the trial design and sample size, a randomized, placebo controlled, patient and assessor blinded clinical trial with two parallel arms have been used to evaluate the efficacy of a standardized manual acupuncture intervention on lateral elbow pain (Tennis Elbow). Ninety-six subjects were divided randomly into two groups. In the treatment group, 47 patients received manual acupuncture for three weeks, with three treatments per week, whereas in the control group 49 patients received inactive laser acupuncture for the same frequency and duration. We evaluated pain and function outcomes using the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire, pain free grip strength (PFGS) and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain. We found significant differences in DASH score and VAS between treatment and control groups. No severe adverse event was found. Results from this study have provided evidence for the use of acupuncture for LEP.

Biography :

Email: spzhang@hkbu.edu.hk