A Comparison of the Efficacy of Dry-Needling and Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of metatarsus pain. Objectives: The current study aimed at comparing the improvement of pain and function in patients with PF treated with extracorporeal shockwave (ESWT) and dry-needling therapy. Methods: The current single-blinded, clinical study was conducted on 72 patients with PF selected from the outpatient and rehabilitation clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran from August 2016 to March 2017. Patients were randomly divided into two groups, and the subjects in the first group were treated with ESWT, while the second group were treated with dry-needling. The performance was evaluated based on FFI (Foot Function Index), and the pain level according to VAS (Visual Analogue Scale); subjects were evaluated at baseline, as well as four and eight weeks after treatment and the obtained results were compared and analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: The subjects’ VAS and FFI scores significantly decreased compared with those of the baseline in both dry-needling and ESWT groups four and eight weeks after treatment (P < 0.005). Based on the criteria, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups four weeks after the treatment (P = 0.732 for VAS and P = 0.578 for FFI). However, eight weeks after treatment, significant changes were observed in pain reduction and FFI in the dry-needling group compared with the ESWT group (VAS: 1.7 ± 0.9 vs. 2.9 ± 1.9, P = 0.013 and FFI: 31.4 ± 28.0 vs. 50.4 ± 33.1, P = 0.008, respectively). Conclusions: Both extracorporeal shockwave and dry-needling therapies were effective in plantar fasciitis treatment; despite the fact that the results of the current study revealed that dry-needling therapy was more effective than extracorporeal shockwave, at eight weeks after treatment.