Tennis elbow is an overuse syndrome most prevalent in the fourth decade. Predominant symptoms of lateral elbow pain on gripping or resisted wrist dorsiflexion result in many consultations in primary care and days lost from work. Most patients will recover within a year.1 This should be remembered when considering the results of this Clinical Evidence extract, which is based on a Cochrane review of the subject.

The review identified randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of numerous treatment modalities for lateral elbow pain. The risks of blindly accepting “evidence based medicine” are known,2 and there are some limitations within …