Reply
We thank Dr. Stasinopoulos for your interest in our recent paper published in March 2018 issue of Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery. We would like to answer to the specific points raised by Dr. Stasinopoulos in the letter as follows. First, we agree with you that the proper term should be passive stretching. We feel sorry if the term caused confusion among readers; however, we had the paper reviewed by native English speakers in an attempt to minimize English-related errors. Second, measurement of the optimal time of stretching was not performed according to Umehara et al.1) Any suggestion on the optimal time of stretching would be helpful. Third, the stretching maneuver was performed by an orthopedic fellow. Although he was not an expert in passive stretching, the maneuver of extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) stretching was relatively simple. Fourth, we agree with you on the need for evaluation of lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) patients. We already addressed the issue in the limitation section of the paper. However, the purpose of this study was to figure out the most effective stretching position, not the therapeutic effect of LET patients. Lastly, we are also aware that the stretching protocol was not newly developed. However, this study is the first objective in vivo study to figure out the most effective stretching position of ECRB with elastography. Again, we thank Dr. Stasinopoulos for the letter to the editor, we will take consideration into your valuable suggestion in our further study.