Dry Needling Versus Conventional Physical Therapy in Patients With Plantar Fasciitis

NCT ID: NCT02373618

Last Updated: 2017-05-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 108 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2015-12-31
• Study Completion Date: 2017-05-17

Brief Summary

The purpose of this research is to compare patient outcomes following treatment of plantar fasciitis with conventional physical therapy (stretching, strengthening, ultrasound, manual therapy, and cryotherapy) and conventional physical therapy plus dry needling. Physical therapists commonly use conventional physical therapy techniques and dry needling to treat plantar fasciitis, and this study is attempting to find out if the addition of dry needling to conventional physical therapy is more effective than conventional physical therapy alone.

Detailed Description

Patients with plantar fasciitis will be randomly assigned to receive 1-2 treatments per week for 4 weeks of either: (1) Dry Needling and conventional physical therapy, or the (2) Conventional physical therapy (stretching, strengthening, ultrasound, manual therapy, and cryotherapy)

Conditions

Plantar Fasciitis

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Experimental: DN and Conventional PT

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

DN and conventional PT

Intervention Type: OTHER

Dry needling to the foot and lower leg. Up to 8 sessions over 4 weeks. Also conventional PT including: ultrasound, stretching, strengthening, cryotherapy and manual therapy to the foot and lower leg.

Active Comparator: Conventional PT

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Conventional PT

Intervention Type: OTHER

Conventional physical therapy includes ultrasound, strengthening, cryotherapy, and manual therapy up to 8 sessions over 4 weeks.

Interventions

DN and conventional PT

Dry needling to the foot and lower leg. Up to 8 sessions over 4 weeks. Also conventional PT including: ultrasound, stretching, strengthening, cryotherapy and manual therapy to the foot and lower leg.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Conventional PT

Conventional physical therapy includes ultrasound, strengthening, cryotherapy, and manual therapy up to 8 sessions over 4 weeks.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Report of at least 3 months of heel pain

2. Patient has not had physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractic treatment, or injections for plantar heel pain in the least 4 weeks.

3. Diagnosis of plantar heel pain with ALL of the following positive clinical signs:

• "First---step" pain upon weight bearing in the morning OR after sitting for a period of time
• Pain localized over the medial calcaneal tubercle
• Increased pain with extended walking OR standing >15 minutes

4. Plantar heel pain greater than or equal to 2/10 (NPRS 0-10 Scale)

Exclusion Criteria

1. Report of red flags to manual physical therapy to include: hypertension, infection, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, heart disease, stroke, chronic ischemia, edema, severe varicosities, tumor, metabolic disease, prolonged steroid use, fracture, RA, osteoporosis, severe vascular disease, malignancy, etc.

2. History of previous surgery to the tibia, fibula, ankle joint, or foot.

3. History of arthrosis or arthritis of the ankle and/or foot.

4. History of significant ankle and/or foot instability.

5. Two or more positive neurologic signs consistent with nerve root compression, including any two of the following:

• Muscle weakness involving a major lower extremity muscle group
• Diminished lower extremity patella or Achilles tendon reflexes
• Diminished / absent sensation in any lower extremity dermatome

6. Involvement in litigation or worker's compensation regarding their foot pain.

7. Any condition that might contraindicate the use of electro---needling

8. The patient is pregnant

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Alabama Physical Therapy & Acupuncture

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

James Dunning, DPT, MSc, FAAOMPT

DPT FAAOMPT

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

James Dunning, DPT FAAOMPT

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

American Academy of Manipulative Therapy

Locations

Alabama Physical Therapy & Acupuncture

Montgomery, Alabama, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

AAMT0002

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id