The evidence on extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) for refractory tennis elbow raises no major safety concerns; however, current evidence on its efficacy is inconsistent. Therefore, this procedure should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance, consent and audit or research.
Clinicians wishing to undertake ESWT for refractory tennis elbow should take the following actions.
Inform the clinical governance leads in their Trusts.
Ensure that patients understand the uncertainty about the procedure's efficacy and provide them with clear written information. In addition, the use of NICE's information for the public is recommended.
Audit and review clinical outcomes of all patients having ESWT for refractory tennis elbow (see section 3.1).
NICE encourages further research into ESWT for refractory tennis elbow. Future research should take the form of clinical studies with clearly described patient selection and treatment protocols, including a description of local anaesthesia use and the type of energy applied (see section 2.5). The studies should include validated outcome measures and be based on a minimum of 1‑year follow-up. NICE may review the procedure on publication of further evidence.