Investigating the effects of eccentric stretching on pain, grip strength, and functional outcomes in patients with lateral epicondylopathy: a randomized controlled trial.
Fatma Bastug, Yasemin Buran Cirak, Gul Deniz Yilmaz Yelvar et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized controlled trial compared conventional physiotherapy with the same program plus supervised eccentric stretching in 40 participants with lateral epicondylopathy. Treatment was delivered three times weekly for four weeks. The added stretching was associated with greater improvements in grip and pinch strength, PRTEE function, QuickDASH scores, and several muscle viscoelastic measures. Pain reductions were clinically meaningful in both groups, but pain outcomes did not differ between groups. The abstract reports no single overall effect estimate, so the findings indicate comparative improvements across selected outcomes rather than a quantified summary benefit.
Key findings
- Group-by-time interactions favored eccentric stretching for grip strength (p < .001, ηp 2 = 0.426), lateral pinch strength (p = .014, ηp 2 = 0.150), and fingertip pinch strength (p = .014, ηp 2 = 0.149).
- PRTEE-function (p < .001, ηp 2 = 0.443) and QuickDASH (p < .001, ηp 2 = 0.598) improved more with added eccentric stretching.
- Pain outcomes did not differ between groups (all p ≥ .512), although both groups had clinically meaningful reductions.
- Several resting and activity-related muscle viscoelastic measures favored stretching; elasticity during activity did not differ (p = .322, ηp 2 = 0.026).
Why it matters
The results suggest that adding eccentric stretching may improve strength and functional outcomes beyond a conventional physiotherapy program, even when pain relief is similar. This distinction is clinically relevant because pain and functional recovery do not necessarily change in parallel. The trial also assessed muscle viscoelastic properties, offering a possible tissue-level correlate of functional change, though the abstract does not establish a mechanism.
What to keep in mind
The trial included 40 participants and assessed outcomes after a four-week intervention; the abstract provides no longer-term follow-up results.