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. 2024 Jun 2;16(6):e61525.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.61525. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Efficacy of Plyometric and TheraBand FlexBar Exercises in Tennis Elbow Patients: A Comparative Study

Mohan Kumar G  1 , Nishanthi S  2 , Kamatchi K  3 , Ramachandran S  4 , Sudhakar S  5 , Rajalaxmi V  3 , Veena Kirthika S  3 , Kaushik Raman  4 , Srisaisantoshini Sankaranarayanan  4 , Priya C  6
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Efficacy of Plyometric and TheraBand FlexBar Exercises in Tennis Elbow Patients: A Comparative Study

Mohan Kumar G et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background Lateral epicondylitis is a common condition involving the arm. It is caused by degenerative changes or overuse of the tendon connecting the elbow joint to the forearm muscle. Plyometric and TheraBand FlexBar (Theraband, Akron, OH, USA) exercises can relieve elbow discomfort, soreness, and weakness. This study examines the effects of plyometric and TheraBand FlexBar exercises with ultrasound on tennis elbow patients. Methodology It is an experimental study comprising a total of 30 participants, including individuals of both genders with age groups of 20-40 years were selected by specific criteria for inclusion and exclusion. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A received plyometric exercises with ultrasound, whereas Group B received TheraBand FlexBar exercises with ultrasound. The outcome measures utilized in this study include patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) and visual analog scale (VAS) for evaluating the functional disability of the hand, arm, and shoulder. Results The results showed a substantial reduction in mean values in Group A compared to Group B, with a p-value of less than 0.001, indicating that plyometric exercises with ultrasound were more effective than TheraBand FlexBar exercises. Conclusion Plyometric exercises combined with ultrasound therapy demonstrated significant reductions in discomfort and improvements in function, with plyometric exercises showing superior efficacy compared to TheraBand FlexBar exercises.

Keywords: exercise therapy; lateral epicondylitis; plyometric; tennis elbow; theraband; ultrasound.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, Faculty of Physiotherapy, Dr. M.G.R. Educational & Research Institute, Chennai issued approval E-29/PHYSIO/IRB/2023-2024. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

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