Treatment of Lateral Epicondylalgia With Shock Waves

Lateral epicondylalgia (LET) is characterized by pain, decreased muscle strength of the wrist extensor muscles, and disability. Among the treatments proposed in the literature, both focal shockwave therapy and radial shockwave therapy have been considered effective in the management of this musculoskeletal disorder. The objective of this study is to compare the safety and effectiveness of these two shockwave applications on the signs and symptoms of subjects with lateral epicondylalgia. In this clinical trial, subjects will be evaluated for elbow pain using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS), grip strength using a handheld dynamometer, and degree of disability using the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation Questionnaire (PRTEE). A six-month follow-up will be performed. Patients will be randomly divided into three groups. The first group will receive radial shock waves (rESWT), the second group will receive focal shock waves (fESWT), and the third group, which will act as a control, will receive a placebo treatment with very low energy parameters according to the literature. Subjects will receive three sessions, one session per week.

NCT Number	NCT06587412
Lead Sponsor	University of Alcala
Conditions	Epicondylitis of the Elbow, Epicondylitis, Lateral
Enrollment	50 participants
Start Date	2025-03-12
Primary Completion	2026-06-20 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-06-20 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-06-02