2019 AAOS Annual Meeting: Counterforce Bracing of Lateral Epicondylitis: A Prospective, Randomized, Double Blinded, Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial

45 patients with acute lateral epicondylitis were randomized to treatment with either a counterforce brace or a placebo brace. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of pain and function between the two types of braces. The primary outcome was frequency of pain on activity. Important secondary outcomes included severity of pain on activity, frequency and severity of pain at rest, and overall impression of elbow function. Follow-up was scheduled for 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 26 weeks. Final follow-up continued to an average of 3 years. For pain during activity, no significant differences between groups were reported for either frequency or severity over follow-up, though improvement from baseline was significant in both groups after 26 weeks and 3 years. For pain at rest, both frequency and severity significant favoured the counterforce group from 2 weeks to 12 weeks, and both groups demonstrated significant improvement from baseline after 26 weeks and 3 years.