What is Dry Needling For Plantar Fasciitis?

If you’re struggling with plantar fasciitis, exploring the benefits of dry needling could be worth considering. Dry needling involves the use of ultra-thin needles that delicately puncture the skin to target trigger points. By stimulating these trigger points, blood flow is enhanced in the affected area, encouraging the body’s natural healing process to kick into gear. Trigger points are specific areas of discomfort where the body struggles to heal independently. With dry needling, these trigger points are activated, allowing increased blood circulation to promote self-healing. This technique effectively addresses both mechanical and chemical stimuli in foot tissue, effectively activating the trigger points and encouraging healing.

Dry needling

Dry needling has emerged as a highly effective treatment option for individuals struggling with plantar fasciitis. This innovative technique involves the use of dry needles to stimulate targeted bands of tissue within the foot. By puncturing the skin and gently maneuvering through the tissue, dry needling delivers consistent mechanical stimulation to trigger points found in the foot. The result? Swift relief from pain and discomfort. This technique functions by directly targeting and stimulating the trigger points responsible for both pain and inflammation in the foot tissue. As a result, individuals suffering from plantar fasciitis can experience significant improvement in their symptoms within a relatively short timeframe.

Dry needling has emerged as a popular alternative in the field of physical therapy. This innovative technique utilizes small needles to target specific trigger points within the muscles, promoting both relaxation and the body’s natural healing processes. Among the various conditions that can be effectively addressed through dry needling, one noteworthy example is plantar fasciitis. This condition occurs as a result of inflammation in the connective tissue between the heel bone and the toes. While there is no established protocol for dry needling treatment in plantar fasciitis, many practitioners have reported promising results in alleviating the symptoms of affected individuals.

Percutaneous needle electrolysis

Various treatments are available for chronic plantar heel pain, but ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle electrolysis has been studied in a Level I randomized controlled trial. This treatment reduced the thickness of the plantar fascia and relieved chronic plantar heel pain. However, symptoms can continue to persist after two months. In such cases, steroid injections may be required. This therapy is not yet widely available and has many potential side effects.

One technique that is gaining popularity in sports medicine is ultrasound-guided percutaneous needle electrolysis. Unlike the usual method, ultrasound-guided EPE is safe and relatively simple. However, it is not yet endorsed by the American Podiatric Association, but some practitioners consider it to be an effective therapeutic alternative for plantar fasciitis. However, more studies are needed to determine whether this treatment is an effective alternative to surgery for this condition.

Ultrasound

Recent research indicates that ultrasound treatment may be an effective method to relieve the pain associated with plantar fasciitis. The technique increases blood flow to the injured area, which can reduce swelling and inflammation. In a study conducted by Advanced Medical Imaging, 65 patients with plantar fasciitis were treated with ultrasound therapy. After two weeks, 90% of the patients showed significant pain relief and the results were maintained at the six-month follow-up. However, there are some drawbacks of this treatment.

The ultrasound parameters used for treating plantar fasciitis were 2 W/cm2, 1 MHz, continuous wave, and a low-pressure source. This method is not commonly used, and it may increase the risk of producing pain or damaging nearby tissues. In both studies, ultrasound was applied for three minutes at each painful area. Statistical power for these two studies was questionable, and the study design included separate treatment for each foot.

Self-stretching

Dry needling for plantar fasciitis works by disrupting the messages sent by the central nervous system to the feet. In addition to reducing pain, dry needling can also be used in combination with other interventions to alleviate plantar heel pain. If done properly, dry needling can help eliminate the symptoms of plantar heel pain and provide long-term relief. Listed below are some of the benefits of dry needling.

The addition of dry needling and TrP manual therapies to self-stretching is associated with superior short-term outcomes. The magnitude of the effect was clinically significant. The MCID (minimum clinically important difference) was 7.8 points. This value is the lower bound estimate of the 95% CI for the primary outcomes. The results are consistent with previous studies.