Dry Needling vs ESWT in Lateral Epicondylitis

April 19, 2026 updated by: Berna Gunay, MD, Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital

Ultrasound-Guided Dry Needling Versus Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Lateral Epicondylitis: A Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Trial

This randomized single-blind controlled trial aims to compare the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided dry needling and extracorporeal shock wave therapy in patients with lateral epicondylitis. Sixty participants aged 18-65 years will be randomized into two groups. The dry needling group will receive ultrasound-guided tendon fenestration once weekly for five sessions, while the ESWT group will receive radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy once weekly for five sessions. All participants will be given a standardized home exercise program. Pain, function, grip strength, pressure pain threshold, quality of life, and ultrasonographic findings will be evaluated at baseline, post-treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome is change in pain severity measured by Visual Analog Scale.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This prospective, randomized, parallel-group, single-blind clinical trial is designed to compare the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided dry needling and extracorporeal shock wave therapy in patients with lateral epicondylitis. Participants aged 18-65 years with symptoms lasting at least six weeks will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio using computer-generated block randomization with sealed opaque envelopes. Due to the nature of the interventions, participants and treating physicians will not be blinded; however, all clinical and ultrasonographic assessments will be performed by an investigator blinded to treatment allocation.

Participants in the dry needling group will receive ultrasound-guided tendon fenestration targeting the pathologic area of the common extensor tendon. The procedure will be performed once weekly for five sessions. Participants in the ESWT group will receive radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy applied to the most tender point over the lateral epicondyle using standard treatment parameters. ESWT will also be administered once weekly for five sessions.

All participants will receive a standardized home exercise program consisting of eccentric strengthening and stretching exercises for the wrist extensors. Assessments will be performed at baseline, immediately after treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits. Outcome measures will include pain intensity, functional status, grip strength, pressure pain threshold, quality of life, and ultrasonographic tendon characteristics including grayscale and Power Doppler findings.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Istanbul
      • Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34662
        • Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 to 65 years
  • Clinical diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis
  • Symptoms persisting for at least 6 weeks
  • Pain over the lateral epicondyle aggravated by wrist extension or gripping activities
  • Positive provocative tests consistent with lateral epicondylitis (e.g., Cozen's test and/or Mill's test)
  • Ability to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous surgery for lateral epicondylitis in the affected elbow
  • Corticosteroid injection, PRP injection, prolotherapy, mesotherapy, or ESWT to the affected elbow within the previous 6 months
  • Bilateral lateral epicondylitis requiring simultaneous treatment
  • Cervical radiculopathy or other neurologic disorders affecting the upper extremity
  • Inflammatory rheumatic disease
  • Elbow osteoarthritis or significant structural elbow pathology
  • Full-thickness tendon tear or other major tendon injury on imaging
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Active infection, skin lesion, or wound at the treatment site
  • Use of anticoagulant therapy or bleeding disorder
  • Inability to comply with follow-up assessments

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Ultrasound-Guided Dry Needling
Participants will receive ultrasound-guided dry needling applied to the common extensor tendon once weekly for five sessions. All participants will also perform a standardized home exercise program.
Procedure: Ultrasound-guided dry needling
Dry needling will be performed under ultrasound guidance targeting the tendinosis area of the common extensor tendon. The procedure will be applied once weekly for five sessions.
Active Comparator: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Participants will receive radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy applied to the lateral epicondyle once weekly for five sessions. All participants will also perform a standardized home exercise program.
Device: Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy
Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy will be applied using standard parameters (10-15 Hz, 1.5-2.5 bar, 2000 pulses) once weekly for five sessions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in pain intensity measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-cm visual analog scale. Change from baseline to immediate post-treatment, upto 3 months, and upto 6 months will be analyzed.
Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) score
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
PRTEE questionnaire will be used to evaluate pain and functional disability in lateral epicondylitis.
Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Change in grip strength
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Grip strength will be measured using a hand dynamometer in kilograms.
Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Change in pressure pain threshold
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Pressure pain threshold will be measured using a handheld algometer over the lateral epicondyle.
Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Change in quality of life measured by SF-12
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Quality of life will be assessed using the Short Form-12 questionnaire.
Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Change in ultrasonographic tendon thickness
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Common extensor tendon thickness will be measured using musculoskeletal ultrasound.
Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Change in Power Doppler neovascularization score
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).
Neovascularization will be evaluated using semi-quantitative Power Doppler scoring.
Baseline (Week 0), end of treatment after 5 weekly sessions (Week 5), 12 weeks post-treatment (Week 17), and 24 weeks post-treatment (Week 29).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 15, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 15, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 19, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 24, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 19, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2024-KAEK-18-5087

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared. De-identified data may be available from the corresponding investigator upon reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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