Dry needling in patients with chronic heel pain due to plantar fasciitis: A single-blinded randomized clinical trial

Background: This study examined the effects of dry needling on chronic heel pain due to plantar fasciitis. Methods: During this single-blinded clinical trial, 20 eligible patients were randomized into two groups: A case group treated with dry needling and a control group. Patients’ plantar pain severity, (using modified visual analog scale [VAS] scoring system), range of motion of ankle joint in dorsiflexion [ROMDF] and plantar extension[ROMPE] and foot function index (using standard questionnaires of SEM5 and MDC7) were assessed at baseline, four weeks after intervention and four weeks after withdrawing treatment. Independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed rank tests, and chi square test were used for data analysis. Results: The mean VAS scores in the case group was significantly lower than the control group after four weeks of intervention (p<0.001). Comparison of the ROMDF and ROMPE did not reveal any significant changes after four weeks of intervention in the case and control groups (p=0.7 and p=0.65, respectively). The mean of MDC7 and SEM5 scores in the case group were significantly lower than the control group following four weeks of intervention (p<0.001). Conclusion: Despite the insignificant effect on ROMDF and ROMPE, trigger point dry needling, by improving the severity of heel pain, can be used as a good alternative option before proceeding to more invasive therapies of plantar fasciitis.