Introduction: Lateral epicondylitis of the elbow is the most common cause of elbow pain and dysfunction. Its prevalence in general population is 1–3 % and most often occurs in people between 30 and 50 years of age. Lateral epicondylitis of the elbow is more common in people who work in occupations with repetitive wrist extension movements. The main symptom is pain on the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, especially during grasping activities. It is generally self-limiting, and most patients do not seek treatment. Patients whose symptoms do not disappear need further conservative or surgical treatment. Previous research shows the effectiveness of eccentric exercise in the treatment of other tendinopathies. Purpose: purpose of this thesis was to investigate the effect of eccentric exercises in people with lateral epicondylitis. Methods: we searched literature in the databases PEDro, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Springer Link. The following keywords and their combinations were used: lateral epicondylitis and exercise, lateral epicondylitis and eccentric exercise, tennis elbow, lateral elbow tendinopathy, lateral epicondylosis. Results: Six studies were included and analysed in detail. The main findings on to the efficiency of eccentric exercise to increase in muscle strengh and patient function, and reduce pain intensity were similar across the studies. In all included studies, eccentric exercise group performed better than either a comparison or control group. Discussion and conclusion: the results suggest of inclusion of the eccentric exercise in physiotherapy of patients with lateral epicondylitis of the elbow is effective, either as endependent technique or in combination with other therapies. Further research on the effectiveness of eccentric exercise on lateral epicondylitis should evaluate also, long-term effects of the eccentric exercise and include control without any treatment.
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