Short and long-term effects of mobilization with movement and eccentric overload to hand pain and function in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis

Aim. To determine and compare short and long-term effects of mobilization with movement and eccentric overload to hand pain and function in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. Problem of research & hypothesis. The eccentric overload exercises are one of the best methods in tendinopathy treatment. Mobilization with movement is largely used as an effective treatment method for lateral epicondylitis. Only the short-term effects of these methods in lateral epicondylitis are often evaluated, but no studies were found to use these methods in combination and to evaluate their long-term effects. Methods. The study included individuals (n=30) aged 30–54 years who had been diagnosed with lateral epicondylitis. Subjects were tested by assessing their perceived pain using the visual analogue scale (VAS); handgrip strength was assessed by a dynamometer. The QuickDASH questionnaire was used to assess hand function and perceived disability. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups: mobilization with movement group (n=10), eccentric overload group (n=10), and combined group (combined mobilization with movement and eccentric overload exercises) (n=10). All subjects got 10 physiotherapy procedures, short-term effect evaluated after 10 procedures of physiotherapy, long-term effect evaluated after 2, 6 and 12 weeks post treatment course. Results. Study results revealed that all treatment methods had a significant (p