Effectiveness of trigger point dry needling for plantar heel pain: a randomized controlled trial

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84 patients, >18 years of age, who had been suffering from plantar heel pain for at least 1 month prior to study initiation, were randomly assigned into an intervention or sham group, to determine the effect trigger point dry needling had on plantar heel pain and other important patient outcomes. Outcomes were assessed during treatment (2, 4, and 6 weeks), as well as at 12 weeks (6 weeks after treatment completion). At 6 weeks, results demonstrated that patients treated with dry needling experienced statistically significant improvements in first-step pain and foot pain when compared to sham patients; however, the difference between groups regarding these outcomes was lower than the minimal clinically important difference. The incidence of minor transitory adverse events was significantly greater in the real dry needling group when compared to the sham group, largely due to the incidence of needle site pain).