Introduction

Epicondylitis is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal pathologies of the upper limb and one of the most frequent reasons for consultation for non-traumatic pathology of the elbow. It affects 1 to 3% of the population, from 30 to 64 years of age, with predominance in the dominant upper limb and the main risk factor is associated with multiple traumas produced by repetitive movements. In most cases it is self-limited and well controlled with painkillers alone, but some cases are refractory to instituted treatments. The medical assistance and associated time off work translates into high costs annually.

Objectives

To characterize the benefits of Mesotherapy in the treatment of chronic resistant Epicondylitis.

Methodology

Prospective case series study, conducted from 2017 to 2020 in a Local Health Unit.

The participants were assessed before and after treatment, using a validated questionnaire ("Quick DashScore") regarding their clinical situation, inability to perform daily life activities and work inability. Mesotherapy treatments were applied in a specialty consultation with a Physiatrist. To complement this, a small review of concepts was carried out using PubMed and UpToDate, selecting articles published in the last 15 years.

Results

This study included seven individuals (five women; two men), aged between 37 and 55 years (x̄ =44 years) and with diverse professional activities.

All had previously undergone long programs of rehabilitation and had been submitted to cortico-anesthetic infiltrations without significant benefit. Two participants had previously been operated with no improvement.

After mesotherapy treatments, the mean improvement in global disability was 33.12% and the mean improvement in work disability was 18%. All individuals showed improvement in global disability for performing daily life activities, improvement in sleep quality, improvement in inability associated with performing work tasks and improvement in pain.

Discussion/Conclusion

Although the study includes a small number of participants, the various treatment benefits achieved with the application of Mesotherapy in these chronic refractory cases stand out, highlighting the improvement of symptomatology in the short and long term. The improvement in the capacity and quality of execution of work tasks also resulted in a decrease in work absenteeism.

The importance and need for further scientific studies on this technique is emphasized, due to the limited information available, to demonstrate the value of Mesotherapy as a useful procedure in the treatment of Epicondylitis and to achieve a more significant impact on the quality of life of the affected population.

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