Epidemiology and Disease Burden of Lateral Epicondylitis in the USA: Analysis of 85, 318 Patients

BACKGROUND: National rates of lateral epicondylitis and surgical treatment are poorly defined. Disease burden of lateral epicondylitis (LE) continues to increase annually. Further study is necessary to optimize treatment algorithms to reduce associated health-care expenditures. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purpose of this study is to review the annual incidence of LE, surgical rates, and associated health-care costs in a population setting. METHODS: A national database was queried for LE from 2007 to 2014. Surgical cases were identified and annual rates were recorded. Demographic and epidemiologic data were reported with descriptive statistics, while trends over time were analyzed using linear regression. RESULTS: = 0.002) significantly increased. CONCLUSION: The annual incidence of LE and rate of surgical intervention have remained constant from 2007 to 2014. The proportion of patients over >65 years diagnosed with, and receiving surgical treatment for, LE has significantly increased in recent years. Total reimbursement and average per-patient reimbursement have steadily risen, demonstrating the increasing burden of cost on the health-care system.