Physiotherapy job holders warned of steroid injection 'risks'
Friday 22nd October 2010
Using steroid injections for tendon complaints like 'tennis elbow' could make the patient's condition worse in the long run, those seeking a physiotherapy job have been told.
Researchers from the University of Queensland analysed the treatment of tendinopathy in more than 2,500 patients and found that, while jabs provided pain relief for several weeks, they made matters worse in the long term.
Writing in the Lancet journal, the scientists explained: "Our systematic review challenges continued use of corticosteroid injections by providing strong evidence that they are worse in the long term than are most conservative interventions for tendinopathy."
The research found that in treatment of tennis elbow, corticosteroid had a significant effect against pain compared with placebo drugs in the first three to six weeks.
Injections administered over a longer period, however, were found to be non-beneficial.
Meanwhile, recent research by Smith and Nephew revealed that pulses of high-frequency sound may be able to speed the healing process of broken bones, even making them stronger than before.
Written by Martin Lambert
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