Overview
Radiohumeral epicondylitis is aseptic inflammation of radial condyle of humerus, head of radius, and mucous bursa of humeroradial joint. Clinically, it is mainly manifested as localized pain in radial condyle of humerus and disfunction in turning wrist and forearm. It is included in "tendon injury", "elbow pain", "elbow overstrain" in TCM. It is mainly caused by elbow traumatic injury, elbow overstrains or external wind and cold invasion of elbow, which lead to local qi and blood stagnation. The principle of acupuncture therapy is relaxing tendon, unblocking meridians and alleviating pain.

Treatment
1. Ashi Point
① After routine sterilization on local area, penetrate toward several direction with one filiform needle or puncture one point with several needles, such as "triple needling" and "adjacent needling". After insertion and getting arrival of qi, reducing method by lifting and thrusting the needle is applied. Needles are retained for 5-10 minutes. Indirect moxibustion with ginger by 3-5 cones is applied afterwards. Treatment is applied every other day, 7 times for one course.

② Point injection therapy is applicable. Prednisolone 25 mg mixed with 1% procaine 2 ml is injected into the point area. If the pain lasts for more than 7 days, the same injection could be applied once again.

③ Needle knife therapy is applicable. Mark 1-2 tenderness point in local area first. After routine sterilization, the needle knife is inserted in with the edge of the knife parallel to muscle tendons. The tendons are stripped several times first longitudinally, then transversely. Withdraw the needle. Ifit is still pain in 7-10 days, the same process could be applied once again.

2. Auricular Point Elbow
After routine sterilization on the auricular point, a 0.5 cun filiform needle is used to prick perpendicularly into the tenderness point on ear point elbow area until the needle reaches the ear cartilage. The twirling manipulation is applied with the medium stimulation. The needle is retained for 20 minutes. The treatment is applied once every day or every other day, 10 times for one course. Cowherb seeds could be used as well to do ear pressure. Ask the patient to do ear pressure several times at ordinary times. The seeds are changed every 5-7days.

Note
The acupuncture therapy is effective to radiohumeral epicondylitis syndrome. Generally the effect is shown after 5-7 treatments. If the duration is long with adhesion of local muscle tendons or tissues, needle knife therapy could be used. For those stubborn cases, multiple therapies could be used together to enhancethe curative effect.