Tennis Elbow: Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There
None of the injections we use seem effective
What’s the Claim?
A randomized clinical trial found that neither the injection of autologous blood nor dextrose (so-called “prolotherapy”) was any more effective in improving symptoms of lateral epicondylitis than needle perforation alone. This robust RCT looked at VAS pain scores at 5 months (which we’d say is too short if they were going to claim efficacy, but is plenty long enough if treatment didn't work), QuickDASH scores, and a few other validated outcomes scores.
