Comparison of the effects of hyaluronic acid and prolotherapy injectionsin patiefizyoterapi ve rehabilitasyon = physiotherapy and rehabilitationnts with lateral epicondylitis

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of hyaluronic aist and prolotherapy injections in patients with lateral epicondylitis. Methods: Thirty-two patients with a diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis were included in the study. Individuals were randomized as hyaluronic acid (HA) group and Prolotherapy (PrT) group. After obtaining the demographic information of all individuals, the pain was evaluated by using visual analogue scale, strenght of hand grip was evaluated by using hand dynamometer, QDASH questionnaire to determine functional level. HA injection was performed as a single dose of 30 mg/2 ml 1500 kDa high molecular weight preparation in the literature, whereas PrT injection was administered 15% dextrose solution in 3 doses (baseline, 3rd week and 6th week). Results: A total of 32 patients (26 females and 6 males) with a mean age of 44.53 ±6.25 were included in the study. In both groups, it was detected that the pain decreased, the grip strength increased and the functional level improved compared to the initial parameters. There was no difference between the groups in terms of pain and functional level in the sixth week (p>0.05), Groups are compared among themselves, There was no difference between the groups in terms of hand grip strength(p>0.05). Conclusion: Based on these results, it was found that HA and PrT injections were effective in reducing pain, increasing grip strength and functional level in LE patients. PrT injection was found to be more effective in the long term than HA injection in the development of pain and functional level. Key words: pain, injection, grip force, lateral epicondylitis.