Efficacy of iastm versus kinesio taping in improving pain and function in lateral epicondylitis subjects

Introduction: Lateral epicondylitis is a condition in which the outer part of the elbow becomes sore and tender. It is an acute or chronic inflammation of the tendons that join the forearm muscles on the lateral epicondyle of the elbow. Symptom associated with tennis elbow include pain on the lateral part of the elbow, point tenderness over the lateral epicondyle and pain from the gripping and movement of the wrist, especially wrist extension and lifting movements. The popular choice of treatment include Therapeutic Ultrasound, Instrument assisted soft tissue manipulation (IASTM) and Taping. Objective: To find out the effectiveness of Instrument assisted soft tissue manipulation and taping to improve function and grip strength in lateral epicondylitis subjects. Method: An experimental research was conducted where twenty subjects of age group between 25 to 35 years and diagnosed with tennis elbow were recruited randomly into two groups by convenient sampling. The subjects in the group A were given ultrasound along with IASTM, where the Group B subjects were treated with ultrasound with taping. The grip strength and disability evaluated by grip dynamometer and mayo elbow performance index were recorded and analyzed as outcome measures at the beginning and completion of 3 weeks intervention. Result: Both the groups showed statistically significant improvement in reducing pain and improving function after the treatment, however on comparison between the groups, Group A showed better results. Conclusion: It can be concluded that even though there is increase in grip strength and reduction of disability in both the groups, IASTM was found to be more effective than taping technique.