Corticosteroid injections for lateral epicondylitis: A systematic review.

Reviews 13 studies concerning the effectiveness of corticosteroid injections for lateral epicondylitis, that is, tennis elbow. Results show that almost all studies had poor internal validity scores. For short-term outcomes of < 6 wks, statistically significant and clinically relevant differences were observed regarding pain, global improvement, and grip strength for corticosteroid injection Ss compared to those receiving placebo, local anaesthetic, or conservative treatments. For intermediate outcomes of 1.5-6 mo and long-term outcomes of >6 mo, no statistically significant or clinically relevant results were observed. It is concluded that it is not possible to draw firm conclusions on the effectiveness of corticosterone injections for lateral epicondylitis, although the available evidence shows superior short-term effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)