Prevalence and Risk Factors of Lateral Epicondylitis in a Mountain Village in Japan

Abstract

Purpose. To determine the prevalence and risk factors of lateral epicondylitis in a mountain village in Japan. Methods. 176 men and 246 women aged 24 to 86 (mean, 61) years from a mountain village in Japan underwent regular medical examination and completed a self-administered questionnaire with items related to gender, weight, height, dominant hand, heaviness of labour (no job, light, intermediate, and heavy), presence of elbow pain 2 weeks before examination, and smoking and drinking experience. The diagnosis of lateral epicondylitis was based on self-reported symptoms and clinical signs. Results. The prevalence of lateral epicondylitis in a mountain village in Japan was 3.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2%-6.1%). Of the 422 subjects, 47 had elbow pain and 16 of them were diagnosed to have definite lateral epicondylitis. 15 of them were righthanded and had involvement of the left (n=8) and right (n=7) sides; the remaining one was left-handed and had involvement of the left side. The dominant Prevalence and risk factors of lateral epicondylitis in a mountain village in Japan Tsuyoshi Tajika, Tsutomu Kobayashi, Atsushi Yamamoto, Tetsuya Kaneko, Kenji Takagishi Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma, Japan Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr Tsuyoshi Tajika, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22, Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan. Email: tajikatsuyoshi@yahoo.co.jp Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery 2014;22(2):240-3 hand was not associated with the affected side (p=1.00). Heaviness of labour was not associated with the elbow pain scores. The prevalence was highest in subjects aged 50 to 59 years (9% [95% CI, 3.8%-17.1%]) and those with no job (14% [95% CI, 1.1%-44.1%]). Conclusion. Lateral epicondylitis was not associated with gender, age, body mass index, dominant hand, heaviness of labour, smoking, or drinking.

Prevalence of rheumatic regional pain syndromes in Latin-American indigenous groups: a census study based on COPCORD methodology and syndrome-specific diagnostic criteria

“…The difference between our RRPS prevalence and these two studies may partly arise because the previous studies relied on individual physicians’ diagnosis of RRPS, instead of validated uniform case definitions. The differences in screening methodology and case definitions between this report and non-COPCORD-based studies of the prevalence of some specific RRPS, such as painful shoulder [ 2 ], rotator cuff tendinopathy [ 3 – 5 ], epicondylalgia [ 6 , 7 ], carpal tunnel syndrome [ 8 , 9 ], pes anserinus bursitis [ 10 ], and trochanteric syndrome [ 11 ], may have contributed to the differences in prevalence rates obtained in the current study and in previous studies.…”

“…Although RRPS are among the most prevalent rheumatic diseases, their epidemiological impact has not been definitively established. There have been a number of studies in different target populations of the prevalence of some RRPS, such as shoulder pain and rotator cuff tendinopathy [ 2 – 5 ], epicondylalgia [ 6 , 7 ], carpal tunnel syndrome [ 8 , 9 ], pes anserinus bursitis [ 10 ], and trochanteric syndrome [ 11 ], but there was heterogeneity in case definitions. The overall prevalence of RRPS has been assessed in a series of open population studies, mostly in developing countries [ 12 – 28 ].…”

Factors Associated With Lateral Epicondylitis of the Elbow

“…Lateral epicondylitis was diagnosed based on the following symptoms and signs observed during physical examination: (1) pain at the lateral aspect of the elbow, (2) point tenderness over the lateral epicondyle, and (3) pain during resistive wrist dorsiflexion with the elbow in full extension. 39 No further diagnostic imaging (ultrasonography or MRI) was performed at the elbow.…”

Critical review on the socio-economic impact of tendinopathy

“…19 , 21 , 22 , 23 Two outliers were reported on lateral epicondylitis in a Japanese mountain village cohort at 3.8% and on epicondylitis in the Indonesian general population at 6.6%. 24 , 25 The divergence in values in these groups suggest that societal aspects also come into play and may be influenced by environmental, cultural, or economic differences among societies. Age and gender do not seem to influence tendinopathy within this cohort.…”