The Effect of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis in Adults: An Integrative Review
Aline Sayuri Fujivara Siro, Marcia Akemi Kikuti Siro, João Victor Belinello da Graça, Marcia Lika YamamuraBackground:
Lateral epicondylitis (“tennis elbow”) is a painful condition of the lateral epicondyle, affecting adults aged 35–55. Treatment aims to relieve pain and restore function through rest, medications, and physiotherapy. Acupuncture emerges as a safe complementary therapy that reduces pain, restores balance, avoids medication-related side effects, and provides rapid symptom improvement while addressing underlying causes.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of acupuncture in lateral epicondylitis’ treatment in adults.
Design:
Integrative review.
Setting:
Studies conducted in clinical and hospital settings, identified from major databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL.
Subjects:
Adult patients diagnosed with lateral epicondylitis. Studies involving nonadults, comorbidities, or nonacupuncture interventions were excluded.
Intervention:
Acupuncture alone or in combination with other therapies.
Main Outcome Measures:
Pain intensity, arm function, and safety/tolerability.
Results:
The database search retrieved 1114 articles, of which 16 met the inclusion criteria. Article screening was performed in Rayyan by two blinded researchers, with discrepancies resolved by consensus. Data were systematically extracted using a standardized protocol. Acupuncture consistently improved pain and arm function in the short and medium term, often performing as well as or better than conventional treatments, with fewer adverse effects. Combination approaches offered additional functional benefits.
Randomizations:
Not applicable.
Blinding:
Not applicable for the review; however, individual studies were assessed for blinding during quality appraisal.
Conclusions:
Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe complementary therapy for managing lateral epicondylitis in adults, although long-term outcomes and study quality remain variable.
Registration and Funding:
Not registered; no specific funding reported.