Abstract
Lateral Epicondylitis (LE) is the most common syndrome in the elbow joint, described as an inflammation of the common extensor muscles. Many studies reported that low-level laser therapy may decrease pain and inflammation, but limited data have evaluated the effect of LLLT on hand grip strength in patients with LE. This study aimed to investigate the effects of low-level laser therapy on pain severity and handgrip strength in patients with LE.Thirty adult patients with LE aged 20-40 years. They were randomly classified into two groups, fifteen in each group; low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and traditional physiotherapy program (TPT) groups. The LLLT group received a program of low-level laser therapy with bracing application and traditional physiotherapy group received deep friction massage and ultrasonic therapy with bracing application. Pain severity using visual analogue scale (VAS) and hand grip strength were evaluated at the beginning of the intervention, at the fourth week, and at the end of the study after eight weeks of the intervention. Baseline characteristics showed non-significant differences in VAS and hand grip strength between the two groups at the beginning of the study. The findings of this study showed significant decreases in pain severity in the two groups while the hand grip strength has improved significantly only in the LLLT group at the end of the study with p<0.05 after the 8-week intervention. In accordance with study results, LLLT has beneficial effects on pain severity, hand grip strength, and global assessment of patient improvement in adult patients with LE after 8-week intervention.