Introduction: Lateral epicondylitis is one of the main reasons for elbow pain. Patients usually complain of pain in the anterior part of the forearm and, or on the bony surfaces of the upper half of the lateral epicondyle. Many experts have agreed, that the main reason for pain caused by lateral epicondylitis is repetitive movement that wears out extensors and supinators of the wrist, the most commonly affected muscle is the extensor carpi radialis brevis. Other risk factors are also: being overweight, smoking, and age between 40 and 50 years. In most cases symptoms disappear on their own, but sometimes they can last for even more then 2 years. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma work was to analyze the literature to determine which orthotic devices are available for lateral epicondylitis treatement and to compare their effectiveness. Methods: In this diploma work we used a descriptive method with systematic literature review. We analyzed existing scientific articles by searching the databases Google Scholar and PubMed. We used keywords in Slovenian and English: teniški komolec/tennis elbow, ortotika/orthotics, ortotični pripomočki/orthotic devices, komolec/elbow. Articles published between year 2011 and 2021 were included. Results: Based on a review of 9 articles, we found out that most patients have problems on their dominant extremity. Pain in subjects persisted from 1 to 18 weeks. Age among the participants in the research ranged between 18 and 67 years. Orthoses included in research were: elbow counterforce band, elbow counterforce sleeve, wrist splint, forearm-elbow brace, spiral splint for tennis elbow, dynamic wrist orthosis, tennis elbow orthosis and new designed forearm orthosis. All of them function on the principle of counterforce, which means they redistribute forces to minimalize loads on tendons. Scientists most often used parameters: pain level, grip strength, limb function, and range of motion. Discussion and conclusion: Lateral epicondylitis is the main cause for elbow pain in 1- 3% of the population. From an orthotic point of view, symptom relief is well taken care of, although orthotic devices are underused, because of the extensive use of pharmaceutical and medical treatments.
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