Pain-relieving effect of dynamic orthosis for lateral epicondylitis: a pilot crossover study.

Abstract

Aim: We developed a simple dynamic orthosis for lateral epicondylitis (DOLE) assisting wrist extensors. This study aimed to compare the pain-relieving effects of DOLE and the counterforce brace in patients with lateral epicondylitis during pickup motion.

Patients & methods: Eighteen patients with lateral epicondylitis performed a pickup test using a 1 kg sandbag under three conditions: without a brace, with a counterforce brace, and with DOLE. Pain during the task was assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The pain-relieving effect was calculated as the percentage reduction in VAS compared to baseline (without an orthosis).

Results: The VAS in the pickup test was 63.2±18.8 mm without orthosis, 53.9±21.0 mm with the counterforce brace, and 38.9±17.0 mm with DOLE. The pain-relieving effect was 0.11 (0-0.20) for the counterforce brace and 0.38 (0.24-0.52) for DOLE, which was greater in DOLE than in the counterforce brace (p = 0.001).

Conclusion: DOLE significantly reduced lateral elbow pain during pickup motion, outperforming the counterforce brace; however, given the relatively small sample size, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary evidence requiring confirmation in larger longitudinal studies. Its simple, worker-friendly design and strong pain-relief effect suggest its potential utility in treating lateral epicondylitis.