INFLUENCE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY ON EPICONDYLITIS IN BEACH TENNIS ATHLETES

Abstract

Beach tennis, a dynamic and growing sport, demands rapid and repetitive upper limb movements, exposing athletes to a significant risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries, such as epicondylitis, or "tennis elbow." Given this impact, the objective of this integrative review was to analyze the effectiveness of physiotherapy approaches in the treatment of epicondylitis in beach tennis athletes. The methodology employed was an integrative literature review, conducted in six stages and with the guiding question defined by the PICo strategy. Data collection took place between June and October 2025, with advanced searches in the BVS, PubMed, and PEDro databases, including articles published in the last five years (2020 to October 2025). The results obtained confirmed that conservative treatment should be predominantly active, with progressive therapeutic exercise (eccentric and isometric) being the cornerstone of interventions, while manual therapy acts as a valuable adjunct for short-term pain relief. However, the main conclusion is the critical lack of specific Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) for this population, causing clinical practice to be based on extrapolations from other tendinopathies, which calls for an urgent need for more research to validate specific protocols and ensure the safe and effective return of athletes to sport.