ReviewJSES international2023
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in JSES international, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Comparison of the efficacy of different types and intensities of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for lateral epicondylitis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Pooled it
- Transforming Chronic Pain Management: Integrating Neuromodulation with Advanced Technologies to Tackle Cognitive Dysfunction - A Narrative Review.Journal of pain research · 2025Review
- Efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy and nutraceutical supplementation in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2025Article
- Predictive Prognostic Factors in Non-Calcific Supraspinatus Tendinopathy Treated with Focused Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy: An Artificial Neural Network Approach.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Consensus has not yet been reached regarding the optimal nonoperative treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Physiotherapy is often utilized, yet the specific modalities used can vary significantly, making this treatment arm quite broad. The role and efficacy of passive physiotherapy by way of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) are not well understood. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) with no active treatment. Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane were searched through till September 20, 2021. All English-language randomized trials comparing passive electrophysiotherapy treatments compared with no active treatment/placebo of patients >18 years of age with lateral epicondylitis with minimum 6-month follow-up were included. Results: In the pooled analysis of 2 trials, ESWT provided no benefit compared to no active treatment for pain (-7.063, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -19.16 to 3.89) or function (standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.03, 95% CI: -0.31 to 0.38, Discussion: The available evidence does not support the use of passive electrophysiotherapy modalities, TENS or ESWT in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis.
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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.