Abstract:

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of arc-edge needle therapy based on Zaodian theory in the treatment of refractory tennis elbow. Methods 64 patients with refractory tennis elbow were collected and randomly divided into a control group and an observation group using a random number table method. Among them， 32 cases in the control group were treated with local pain point injection. 32 patients in the observation group were treated with arc-edge needle therapy once a week， with two treatments per group. The Number rating scale （NRS） Mayo， elbow joint performance score （MEPS） and Disabilities of the arm， shoulder and hand （DASH） score were recorded and compared between the two groups before treatment and at 1， 2， 4 and 24 weeks of follow-up after treatment， disease efficacy score （WDES） at 24 weeks of follow-up. Results During the treatment process，neither group of patients experienced serious adverse reactions.At each stage after treatment， two groups of NRS MEPS， DASH， and WDES at 24 weeks of follow-up all improved compared to before treatment. After one week of treatment， there was no statistically significant difference in NRS scores between the two groups （P > 0.05）. At follow-up visits at weeks 2， 4， and 24， the NRS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group.After 1， 2， 4， and 24 weeks of follow-up after treatment， the DASH score was lower in the observation group than in the control group， and the MEPS score was higher in the observation group than in the control group， with statistically significant differences （P < 0.05）. After 24 weeks of treatment， the WDES of the observation group was better than that of the control group， and the difference was statistically significant （P < 0.05）. Conclusion Local pain point injection and arc-edge Zaodian release can alleviate pain and improve elbow joint function in the early stage of refractory tennis elbow. However， the long-term effect of local pain point injection treatment is not good， and the treatment effect of the observation group gradually improves.

Key words: arc-edge needle, Zaodian theory, humeral external epicondylitis, local pain point injection