A systematic review of randomized controlled trials on the effect of transverse friction massage in lateral epicondylitis

Background: Inter-specialist correlation of modalities employed in the management of lateral epicondylitis is poor and the number of review studies in this area is insufficient in the literature. Aim: The present study aimed to review the literature on randomized controlled trials of transverse friction massage in patients with lateral epicondylitis. Methods: A literature search was conducted in electronic databases “ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science (WoS)”. A total of 3,615 studies were accessed via the identified keywords. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 17 articles were included. The “PEDro scale” was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. Results: Seventeen studies were included in the systematic review. The included studies were of “good” quality based on the mean PEDro score. Visual Analog Scale, global improvement scale, Patient Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation, Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand Scale and algometer were among the most assessed outcomes. There were 8 studies in which the transverse friction massage plus other combined interventions group showed significantly better results than the other group. There were 4 studies in which the transverse friction massage plus other combined intervention group did not show a significant difference against the other group. Conclusion: In conclusion, evidence suggests that transvers friction massage may be an effective and appropriate option in the treatment of lateral epicondylitis. We suggest that a better result can be obtained by combining transvers friction massage with Mills manipulation, stretching, and eccentric exercises in patients with lateral epicondylitis.