(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- An injection of botulinum toxin can provide relief for "tennis elbow," but it needs to be injected properly to avoid potential paralysis.

The study was performed at Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Researchers sought to introduce an easy, effective method for injection of botulinum toxin to be used in routine practice. Instead of designating a fixed injection site, physicians determined the injection site based on each patient's forearm length. All participants in the study had undergone previous therapeutic interventions that had failed.

"We found that pain at rest and pain during maximum pinch were significantly reduced in patients with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) after botulinum toxin was injected at the site based on precise anatomic measurement of each patient's forearm length," Dr. Mortazavi, Iman Khomeini Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and coauthors were quoted as saying.

"However, this method caused a decline in maximum strength and resulted in extensor lag."

The authors concluded that while precise measurement to guide injection of botulinum toxin could be effective in the management of chronic tennis elbow, it should be used only for patients whose job does not require finger extension.

Further research is needed to determine whether the pain-relieving effects of the treatment remain or diminish after four months.