Intractable lateral epicondilytis: A differential diagnosis algorithm for a correct clinical interpretation

Abstract

The epicondylalgia is the most frequent upper extremity pathology in adults and it can become an “intractable lateral epicondylitis” when patients do not improve with the treatment received. This is a complex entity that includes several musculo-tendinous, articular and neural syndromes than can coexist and they can also be confused with each other. For this reason, it is necessary to do a systematized and exhaustive evaluation where all the dysfunctions capable of generating the symptoms are precisely and independently analyzed. On this basis, a 7 steps assessment algorithm is proposed on this paper to enable the clinician to perform a complete and organized evaluation of these patients, to achieve a correct clinical interpretation.