Clinical Efficacy Study of Italian Fascial Manipulation Combined with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Lateral Epicondylitis of the Humerus
LIN Xihe
WANG Taotao
LIU Yuchi
ZHANG Xiangzhen
Abstract：Objective:To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of Italian fascial manipulation combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy for lateral epicondylitis of the humerus.Method:34 patients who sought treatment at Zhongshan People's Hospital between March and September 2024 and met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study.They were divided into the conventional group(receiving extracorporeal shock wave therapy)and the combined group(receiving Italian fascial manipulation combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy)using a random number table,with 17 patients in each group.Follow-up assessments were conducted before treatment,after 1 session,after 2 sessions,after 3 sessions,after 4 sessions,and at 3 months post-treatment.Pain severity was evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS),while changes in pain-free grip strength(PFG)were measured with a pneumatic dynamometer.Result:In terms of VAS score comparison,there were no significant differences before treatment and after the first and second treatment sessions(P>0.05).However,statistically significant differences emerged after the third and fourth treatment sessions(P<0.05),with the combined therapy group showing a higher mean reduction in pain scores compared to the conventional therapy group.There was no statistically significant difference in PFG between the two groups before treatment and after the first three treatment sessions(P>0.05).After the fourth treatment session,a statistically significant difference was observed in PFG between the two groups(P<0.05),with the combined therapy group showing a higher mean improvement in strength than the conventional therapy group.At the three-month follow-up,no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in VAS scores,PFG,or recurrence rates(P>0.05).Conclusion:As the number of treatment sessions increased,the combined therapy group demonstrated certain advantages over the conventional group in pain relief and strength recovery.However,whether the long-term maintenance effects of combined therapy are superior to those of conventional therapy require further investigation.
Keywords：Italian fascia manipulationExtracorporeal shock wave therapyLateral epicondylitisTennis elbow
Publication Date：2025-10-25
Online Publishing Date：2025-11-26(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 9-12 )