Dry Needling of the Medial Gastrocnemius as Novel Treatment for Type-VI Functional Popliteal Artery Entrapment Syndrome

Abstract

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome is rare, commonly overlooked, and characterized by the compression of the popliteal artery via the surrounding myofascial structures. Presented is a 28-year-old active-duty male service member with unilateral exertional left lower extremity pain, paresthesia, and discoloration. Popliteal musculoskeletal and Doppler ultrasound showed normal anatomy with functional compression of the popliteal artery by the medial head of the gastrocnemius. This is the first case in current literature to report ultrasound-guided dry needling to the medial head of the gastrocnemius as novel treatment for functional popliteal artery entrapment syndrome.