Effectiveness of Mobilization with Movement Versus Muscle Energy Technique Along with Plyometric Exercises on Pain and Functional Performance in Subjects with Chronic Lateral Epicondylitis

Abstract

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is a painful overuse condition characterized by degeneration or micro-tearing of the tendons attaching forearm muscles to the lateral epicondyle, resulting in progressive pain and tenderness that worsens with forearm activity. This experimental study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Mobilization with Movement (MWM) versus Muscle Energy Technique combined with Plyometric Exercises (MET+PE) on pain and functional performance in subjects with chronic lateral epicondylitis. Sixty subjects meeting the selection criteria were randomly allocated into two groups of 30 each, Group A receiving MWM and Group B receiving MET combined with plyometric exercises, with both groups undergoing a four-week intervention protocol. Pain and functional performance were assessed using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) questionnaire. Paired t-tests were applied to evaluate pre- and post-intervention differences within each group, while unpaired t-tests were used to compare mean differences between groups. Both interventions yielded statistically significant improvements in pain and functional performance; however, Group B demonstrated significantly greater gains across all measured parameters. These findings suggest that Muscle Energy Technique combined with Plyometric Exercises is more effective than Mobilization with Movement in reducing pain and improving functional performance in patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis.