Scapular Strengthening Exercises in Patients With Chronic Lateral Epicondylitis

January 8, 2026 updated by: Masood Khan, King Saud University

Effectiveness of Scapular Strengthening on Pain, Grip Strength, and Function in Chronic Lateral Epicondylitis

Lateral epicondylitis is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder, affecting 1-3% of the population, typically in middle age and without gender bias. Evidence on the role of scapular strengthening in managing pain, grip strength, and functional limitations in these patients remains limited. This study investigated the impact of scapular muscle strengthening combined with conventional therapy versus conventional therapy alone on these outcomes in individuals with chronic lateral epicondylitis. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. Pain was assessed using the visual analogue scale, grip strength with a handheld dynamometer, and functional limitation with the patient-rated tennis elbow (PRTE) scale. The independent variables were the two treatment approaches: conventional therapy alone and conventional therapy supplemented with scapular strengthening.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

30

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • India
    • Kerala
      • Kannur, Kerala, India, 670105
        • Cooperative Institute of Health Sciences, Thalassery

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Chronic lateral epicondylitis,
  • Positive Mill's test.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Fracture in the shoulder, wrist, or elbow region,
  • Upper motor neurological disorder,
  • Fibromyalgia,
  • Cervical radiculopathy,
  • Recent burn,
  • Peripheral neuropathy,
  • Any surgery on the upper quadrant within six months.

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Scapular Strengthening
The experimental group received scapular strengthening in addition to conventional therapy.
Other: Scapular strengthening and conventional therapy
Scapular strengthening, along with conventional therapy that consisted of ultrasound therapy and static stretching.
Active Comparator: Conventional Therapy
The control group received conventional therapy.
Other: Conventional Therapy
Conventional therapy consisted of ultrasound therapy and static stretching.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain at elbow
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Pain will be measured using the Visual Analogue Scale. This scale has a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 10. A higher score means a worse outcome.
4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Grip strength
Time Frame: 4 weeks
Grip strength will be measured using a Jamar Hydraulic Hand Dynamometer
4 weeks
Functional difficulty
Time Frame: 4 weeks.
Functional difficulty will be measured using the Patient-Reported Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTE) scale. This scale ranges from a minimum of 0 (no pain or disability) to a maximum of 100 (worst pain and disability imaginable). A higher score means a worse outcome.
4 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

King Saud University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Masood Khan, M.P.Th., King Saud university

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 (Actual)

March 6, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 17, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

October 23, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 28, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 28, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

January 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

January 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 8, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB-03/MPT-2020/MSK/CIHS

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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