An international team has shown that acupuncture helps tennis elbow, and can improve both pain and function. A total of 96 patients, aged 18 to 80, with chronic unilateral tennis elbow, were randomised to receive either true acupuncture or a sham laser treatment as a control. Both groups received three sessions per week for three weeks, at centres in Italy, Australia, Hong Kong and China.
At post-treatment follow-up, the researchers found significant differences in disability and pain scores between the two groups, in favour of true acupuncture. At all time points measured, the acupuncture group contained a greater number of subjects reporting pain relief in excess of 30%.
(A multi-center international study of Acupuncture for lateral elbow pain – Results of a randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Pain, 17 April 2020.)