Comparison of dry needling and steroid injection in the treatment of plantar fasciitis: a single-blind randomized clinical trial

66 patients with plantar fasciitis were randomized to treatment with either dry needling or a corticosteroid injection. Patients were followed up for pain on a visual analog scale (VAS) from 3 weeks to 1 year after treatment. For the first 6 weeks after treatment, pain scores were significantly higher among patients treated with dry needling compared to corticosteroid injection. Pain scores at 3 and 6 months demonstrated no significant difference between groups. In contrast to early results, pain scores at 1 year after treatment were significantly lower among patients treated with dry needling as compared to a corticosteroid injection.