Trial reportBritish journal of sports medicine2006
Cost effectiveness of brace, physiotherapy, or both for treatment of tennis elbow.
Trial report in British journal of sports medicine, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 74 citations in OpenAlex.
- Manual therapy and exercise for lateral elbow pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Cost-Effectiveness of Treatments for Musculoskeletal Conditions Offered by Physiotherapists: A Systematic Review of Trial-Based Evaluations.Sports medicine - open · 2024Pooled it
- Exercise therapy for tendinopathy: a mixed-methods evidence synthesis exploring feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review of randomised controlled trials assessing effectiveness of prosthetic and orthotic interventions.PloS one · 2018Pooled it
- Deep transverse friction massage for treating lateral elbow or lateral knee tendinitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014Pooled it
- A systematic review of the unit costs of allied health and community services used by older people in Australia.BMC health services research · 2013Pooled it
- Prolotherapy injections and physiotherapy used singly and in combination for lateral epicondylalgia: a single-blinded randomised clinical trial.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Conservative treatment of lateral epicondylitis: comparison of two different orthotic devices.Clinical rheumatology · 2008Trial
- Article
- Economic Burden Associated with Receiving Inhaled Corticosteroids with Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists or Long-Acting Beta Agonists as Combination Therapy in Older Adults.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2018Article
- Health Care Utilization and Direct Medical Costs of Tennis Elbow: A Population-Based Study.Sports health · 2016Article
- Reliability and validity of Turkish version of the patient rated tennis elbow evaluation.Rheumatology international · 2010Article
- Management in non-traumatic arm, neck and shoulder complaints: differences between diagnostic groups.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2008Article
- Effects of platelet-rich plasma on lateral epicondylitis of the elbow: prospective randomized controlled trial.Revista brasileira de ortopediaArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe annual incidence of tennis elbow in the general population is high (1-3%). Tennis elbow often leads to limitation of activities of daily living and work absenteeism. Physiotherapy and braces are the most common treatments.
objectivesThe hypothesis of the trial was that no difference exists in the cost effectiveness of physiotherapy, braces, and a combination of the two for treatment of tennis elbow.
methodsThe trial was designed as a randomised controlled trial with intention to treat analysis. A total of 180 patients with tennis elbow were randomised to brace only (n = 68), physiotherapy (n = 56), or a combination of the two (n = 56). Outcome measures were success rate, severity of complaints, pain, functional disability, and quality of life. Follow up was at six, 26, and 52 weeks. Direct healthcare and non-healthcare costs and indirect costs were measured. Mean cost differences over 12 months were evaluated by applying non-parametric bootstrap techniques.
resultsNo clinically relevant or statistically significant differences were found between the groups. Success rate at 12 months was 89% in the physiotherapy group, 86% in the brace group, and 87% in the combination group. Mean total costs per patient were 2069 euros in the brace only group, 978 euros in the physiotherapy group, and 1256 euros in the combination group. The mean difference in total costs between the physiotherapy and brace group was substantial (1005 euros), although not significant. Cost effectiveness ratios and cost utility ratios showed physiotherapy to be the most cost effective, although this also was not statistically significant.
conclusionNo clinically relevant or statistically significant differences in costs were identified between the three strategies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.