Author(s)

Sahar Mahmoud Hassan¹, Ashraf Ramadan Hafez^2*, Hamada Eid Seif¹, Shaji John Kachanathu³

¹Cairo University Hospital, Cairo University, Egypt.
²Faculty of Physical Therapy, Deraya University, Alminya Algadida, Egypt.
³Collage of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Overuse injuries of the elbow and forearm are very common in athletes. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of muscle stretching and deep friction massage with using wrist joint support during management of tennis elbow. This study included forty patients with tennis elbow divided into two equal groups: the first group with a mean age 38.1 ± 0.294 followed a physical therapy program in form of deep friction massage on the proximal attachment of wrist extensor muscles, the second group with a mean age 37.6 ± 0.253, submitted to stretching exercises of wrist extensors. Both of groups submitted to ultrasonic therapy with wrist splint during treatment period, three sessions per week for six weeks. Outcome measures were universal goniometer, visual analogue scale, and squeezing sphygmomanometer. The results showed that there was a significant improvement in ROM of wrist flexion and wrist extension, and handgrip in second group and it was more than in the first group while no significant difference in pain. This study showed that stretching exercise is more beneficial in the management of patients with tennis elbow.

Tennis Elbow, Stretching Exercises of Wrist Extensors, Ultrasonic Therapy and Deep Friction Massage, Splinting

Hassan, S. , Hafez, A. , Seif, H. and Kachanathu, S. (2016) The Effect of Deep Friction Massage versus Stretching of Wrist Extensor Muscles in the Treatment of Patients with Tennis Elbow. Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 4, 48-54. doi: 10.4236/ojtr.2016.41004.