New needle treatment may replace surgery for stubborn tennis elbow
NCT ID NCT02710682
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tests if a less invasive ultrasound-guided needle procedure can work as well as mini-open surgery for chronic tennis elbow that hasn't improved with rest or therapy. Sixty-four workers with persistent elbow pain will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. The main goal is to see which approach better reduces pain and improves function after six months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ultrasound-guided tendon fenestration (minimally invasive procedure) and mini-open surgery
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a less invasive ultrasound-guided procedure works as well as surgery for chronic tennis elbow, offering a quicker recovery option.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 64 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The ultrasound technique is still experimental and may not be as effective as surgery.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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64 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2016
- Finished
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Jul 2020
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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30 to 67 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Workers * Ability to read, understand and answer questionnaires in French or English * Diagnosis of unilateral, lateral epicondylosis established by an orthopaedist, determined by clinical presentation and pain, ≥ 4/10 on a pain numerical rating scale, on palpation of the region slightly anterior and distal to the lateral epicondyle, exacerbated by the extension of the wrist or the middle finger when the elbow is in extension. * Chronic epicondylosis, refractory to medical treatment conducted for at least six months, which includes rest and implementation of ergonomics to avoid soliciting the extensor tendons, and at least one of: physical therapy, a rehabilitation program with stretching and / or strengthening exercises, injection treatments (corticosteroids, autologous PRP) or extracorporeal shock waves. Exclusion Criteria: * Suspected tumor or infectious etiology * Injection of corticosteroids during the last 3 months * Hemorrhagic diathesis; anticoagulation (platelets \<50,000, International Normalized Ratio (INR) \> 2) * Local infection * History of elbow surgery or fracture * History of inflammatory arthropathy * Neck pain and radiculopathy * Inability to provide informed consent because of a language problem, dementia or a major psychiatric disorder.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
Montreal, Quebec, H2X 0C1, Canada
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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