Cotchett et al. 2014, Trigger-point dry needling for plantar heel pain (RCT)

Randomised controlled trial in Physical Therapy of 84 people with plantar heel pain, comparing six weekly sessions of real trigger-point dry needling against sham needling. Real needling produced statistically significant reductions in first-step pain and foot pain over sham, but the authors flagged that the size of the benefit has to be weighed against frequent minor transitory adverse events. Commentators noted the weak point shared by this literature: the palpation methods used to locate the target trigger points in the foot and lower leg lack established diagnostic validity and examiner reliability. A positive but caveated trial for the heel.