Does Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization affect the quality of life of patients with tennis elbow?

 One of the most common causes of elbow pain is tennis elbow disorders. Sufferers of this disorder complain of pain, decreased grip strength, and reduced functional activities that may have a significant impact on daily activities and lifestyle. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the impact of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) on the quality of life of patients with tennis elbow disorders.

44 non-athletes with tennis elbow disorder were selected purposefully and available and randomly divided into two experimental groups (13 males and 9 females) and control (16 males and 6 females). Participants in the control group received a single injection of corticosteroids, 10 sessions of physiotherapy, and daily use of a tennis elbow splint for one month, while the patients in the intervention group, in addition to receiving the interventions of the control group, received IASTM for two sessions each week for 4 weeks for 10 minutes. The patients' quality of life was measured using the SF-36 questionnaire before and after the intervention. The statistical test included one-way ANOVA, which was analyzed by SPSS V.26 at a level of significance less than 0.05.

After the intervention, the average score of the quality of life subscales wasn’t significantly different between the two groups (P<0.05), but the total quality of life score of the intervention group was significantly different from the control group (P<0.001).

The use of IASTM along with common interventions for the treatment of tennis elbow can be effective in improving the quality of life.