Finnish Tennis Elbow Trial Pilot Study

NCT ID: NCT02425982

Last Updated: 2025-01-07

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

99 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-08-31

Study Completion Date

2018-03-15

Brief Summary

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The study aims to investigate the natural course and the results of operative treatment of chronic tennis elbow (TE). Chronic is defined as symptoms having lasted for more than a year. The investigators will also study the effect of pain catastrophising on the subjective outcome, the patient acceptable symptomatic state and the response shift phenomenon in TE. The study will also ascertain the feasibility of a multi-center randomised, controlled trial (RCT), and test and refine the co-operation and interaction of the planned RCT centers.

Detailed Description

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Objectives:

1. To study the natural course of tennis elbow/spontaneous recovery of chronic (lasting for over 12 months) tennis elbow and the results of surgery in a pragmatic setting.
2. To investigate the patients' expectations of the treatment, and define the patient acceptable symptomatic state, or PASS, in tennis elbow.
3. To investigate the effect of pain behaviour on treatment results and PASS.
4. To delineate the existence of a potential "response shift" -phenomenon in patients with a tennis elbow.
5. To determine the feasibility of a prospective, placebo-controlled, randomised trial by finding out the actual number of patients in each center and those that may be suitable for the FINITE-RCT. The investigators will also test the functioning and response of the planned outcome measures in this environment and for this purpose.

Study setting The study is carried out as a prospective open-label multi-center cohort study.

The study was originally planned with a follow-up up to 10 years, but the cost-benefit of the long term follow-up was evaluated after the completion of one year data collection, and the decision was made to shorten the follow-up to include two year data, but no further follow-ups.

Conditions

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Tennis Elbow

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

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Conservative treatment

Patients who will opt conservative treatment or patients treated conservatively by surgeon decision.

Conservative treatment

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

The treatment consists of physiotherapy, activity modification, pain medication and watchful waiting. Injection therapies will be avoided.

Operative treatment

Patients who opt for surgery when offered.

Operative treatment

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

The exact treatment depends on the surgeon, but the majority are anticipated to be elbow arthroscopy followed by either arthroscopic or open extensor carpi radialis brevis release.

Interventions

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Operative treatment

The exact treatment depends on the surgeon, but the majority are anticipated to be elbow arthroscopy followed by either arthroscopic or open extensor carpi radialis brevis release.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Conservative treatment

The treatment consists of physiotherapy, activity modification, pain medication and watchful waiting. Injection therapies will be avoided.

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Clinically diagnosed tennis elbow defined as: Pain on the lateral side of the elbow, made worse by pressure applied on the lateral epicondyle of the humerus and during resisted extension of the wrist or when making a fist with the elbow joint straight.
2. Duration of symptoms over 10 months
3. Age between 35 and 60 years
4. Ability to fill in Finnish questionnaires
5. Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

1. Earlier fracture or dislocation in the elbow joint area
2. Earlier surgical treatment of the same elbow joint
3. Congenital deformity in the elbow
4. Systemic muscle, tendon, nerve or joint disease
5. Other problems causing pain the elbow joint:

1. Pain in the medial epicondyle of the elbow
2. Pain in the biceps muscle tendon
3. Painful snapping or crepitus of elbow joint
4. Instability of elbow joint (table top, posterolateral drawer test)
6. A passive movement limitation of more than 10 degrees in the elbow joint
7. Abnormal finding in an elbow joint X-ray. An elbow joint X-ray is a routine examination of elbow symptoms.
Minimum Eligible Age

35 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Helsinki

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Tuomas Lahdeoja

MD, specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Teppo LN Järvinen, MD, professor

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Helsinki University, Helsinki University Central Hospital

Tuomas Lähdeoja, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Helsinki University, Helsinki University Central Hospital

Mikko Salmela, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Helsinki University, Helsinki University Central Hospital

Teemu Karjalainen, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Finland Central Hospital

Pirjo Toivonen, coordinator

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Helsinki University, Hatanpää Hospital

Locations

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Töölö Hospital

Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland

Site Status

North Karelia Central Hospital

Joensuu, , Finland

Site Status

Central Finland Central Hospital

Jyväskylä, , Finland

Site Status

Kymenlaakso Central Hospital

Kotka, , Finland

Site Status

Kuopio Unversity Hospital

Kuopio, , Finland

Site Status

Päijät-Häme Central Hospital

Lahti, , Finland

Site Status

Oulu University Hospital

Oulu, , Finland

Site Status

Satakunta Central Hospital

Pori, , Finland

Site Status

Seinäjoki Central Hospital

Seinäjoki, , Finland

Site Status

Hatanpää Hospital

Tampere, , Finland

Site Status

Tampere Unversity Hospital

Tampere, , Finland

Site Status

Turku University Hospital

Turku, , Finland

Site Status

Countries

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Finland

References

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Karjalainen T, Lahdeoja T, Salmela M, Ardern CL, Juurakko J, Jarvinen TL, Taimela S; FINITE investigators. Minimal important difference, patient acceptable symptom state and longitudinal validity of oxford elbow score and the quickDASH in patients with tennis elbow. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2023 Jul 6;23(1):158. doi: 10.1186/s12874-023-01934-4.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 37415100 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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65/13/03/02/2014

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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