The effectiveness of dry needling for plantar fasciitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
2024

Effectiveness of Dry Needling for Plantar Fasciitis

Sample size: 781 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Yang Aiguo, Lin Rong, Xia Mingwei, Su Hao, He Ying

Primary Institution: Affiliated Hospital and Clinical Medical College of Chengdu University

Hypothesis

Does dry needling improve pain and functional outcomes in patients with plantar fasciitis?

Conclusion

Dry needling is effective in relieving pain and restoring function in patients with plantar fasciitis.

Supporting Evidence

  • Dry needling significantly lowered pain scores compared to routine treatments alone.
  • Dry needling improved foot function scores compared to other treatments.
  • Patients receiving dry needling had significant pain relief at 1 month and over 1 month.

Takeaway

Dry needling helps people with heel pain feel better and move better, but it might take a month to start working.

Methodology

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials evaluating dry needling for plantar fasciitis.

Potential Biases

High risk of selective bias due to lack of allocation concealment and blinding.

Limitations

Most included studies had high risks of bias and small sample sizes, which may affect the conclusions.

Participant Demographics

Involved both acute and chronic cases of plantar fasciitis, with a mix of male and female participants.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0001

Confidence Interval

95%CI (−2.12, −1.76)

Statistical Significance

p<0.0001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3389/fneur.2024.1520585

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