Those suffering the persistent pain of tennis elbow will be thrilled to hear Griffith University is seeing significant success with its latest trail of two promising therapies.
The study, being carried out on the Gold Coast at the University’s new state-of-the-art Griffith Health Centre, is trialling physiotherapy treatment and a program of prolotherapy injections. A third treatment group is comparing a combination of these two therapies, with all groups receiving active treatment.
The researchers say there has been considerable success with participants so far, across all of the treatment groups.
Chief Investigator Associate Professor Michael Yelland from the Griffith Health Institute said: “This research aims to test the effectiveness of two treatments that address the underlying causes of tennis elbow, rather than just covering up the symptoms.
“To date, we have been very pleased to see many good responses to the treatments used in the study. For example we have participants who previously had difficulty playing sport, carrying light bags or even using a computer and who are now able to do these activities completely unrestricted.
“Tennis elbow is traditionally a difficult condition to cure, so we want to see if these treatments can give lasting results and whether combining them is better than using them on their own.
“It may be that a combination of the two therapies will be better than each one alone but we are aiming to see which is the more effective of the three different treatments.
“One in ten people will get this kind of tendon injury during their lifetime, so this research has the potential to help a lot of people who could develop tennis elbow over time,” Professor Yelland said.
Adults aged 18 to 70 who have had pain on the outside of their elbow for at least 6 weeks and who have not had other treatments for the previous 12 weeks, are invited to participate in the trial which is currently seeking further participants from the Gold Coast region.
The treatments include free follow-up care for participants, including a complementary ultrasound and physical testing which aims to keep participants well informed of their progress as they recover.
The initial assessment of people interested in joining the study is also free and can be beneficial even for those that are deemed not suitable for the treatments offered.
For further information please contact: Research Officer: Marnie Ryan, 0411 799 675 Or tenniselbowpain@gmail.com or http://www.facebook.com/TennisElbowStudy
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