None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Stretching exercises are commonly prescribed by healthcare professionals in treating musculoskeletal conditions of the foot. This comparison study aims to find out how dry needling can affect the effectiveness of stretching exercises in treating heel pain. The treatment of dry needling plus a stretching exercise program will be compared against a stretching exercise program only in this study. Participant satisfaction and the degree of calf muscle relaxation will be compared between the two treatment groups.
Interventions
Myofascial Trigger Point (MTrPs) is defined as hypersensitive palpable nodules in a taut band of a skeletal muscle that are painful on compression, contraction, or stretching of the muscle. Myofascial Trigger Point Dry Needling will be administered by two fully trained research students.Myofascial Trigger Point Dry needling will only be administered once only during the initial visit. The duration of the Myofascial Trigger Point Dry needling session is 20 minutes during the initial visit. All p
Myofascial Trigger Point (MTrPs) is defined as hypersensitive palpable nodules in a taut band of a skeletal muscle that are painful on compression, contraction, or stretching of the muscle. Myofascial Trigger Point Dry Needling will be administered by two fully trained research students.Myofascial Trigger Point Dry needling will only be administered once only during the initial visit. The duration of the Myofascial Trigger Point Dry needling session is 20 minutes during the initial visit. All participants will be instructed on a stretching exercise regimen for a period of two weeks. This includes stretching exercises for both the calf muscles and the plantar fascia. The frequency for each muscle specific stretching exercise will be two times per day, using intermittent stretching of 20 seconds, followed by 20 seconds rest for a total of three minutes for each stretch. Hence, the gastrocnemius, soleus and the plantar fascia will each be stretched for six minutes total per day. A stretching exercise logbook will be given to each participant for their compliance towards the stretching regimen to be recorded.
Sponsors
Associate Professor Reza Naraghi
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
- Male or female who are above the age of 18 years old. - Have a correctly diagnosed unilateral plantar fasciitis condition. - At least one identifiable MTrPs within the calf muscle complex. - Foot Posture Index between -8 to +8. - Without previous foot and ankle surgery or fractures for at least two years.
Exclusion criteria
- Currently in a trial evaluating other treatments for their plantar fasciitis. - Currently treating their plantar fasciitis or intend to treat their condition by other means during the study period. - Unable to give informed consent. - A known hypersensitivity to metal. - A history of injection therapy in the heel in the previous treatment. - A history of surgery to plantar fascia. - History of plantar heel pain secondary to connective tissue disease. - Previous adverse effects from dry needling. - Needle phobic participants. - At risk of impaired healing (e.g. Diabetes, Peripheral vascular disease, Keloid scarring). - Immune-compromised participants with risk of infection and impaired healing. - History of inflammatory, osseous, metabolic, vascular, musculoskeletal or neurological disorders and abnormalities. - Pregnant during the study period. - Current medications which may affect wound healing. Eg. Anticoagulants (warfarin, heparin) or immunosuppressant drugs (systemic steroids). - Presence of Osseous Equinus. - If the subject is suffering from any medical condition, of which the attending person deem it inappropriate for the participant to partake in the study.
Outcome results
None listed