Short-term effectiveness of dry needling on pain and ankle range of motion in athletes with medial tibial stress syndrome- a randomized control trial

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) is also called soleus syndrome because the resultant periostitis is localized to the medial insertion of the soleus muscle. This study explores the effectiveness of dry needling (DN) targeting soleus myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) in managing MTSS.

Aim

To assess the impact of DN on pain reduction and ankle range of motion (ROM) improvement in athletes with MTSS.

Study Design

This randomized controlled trial (RCT) included 50 university-level athletes. (DN group = 25; control group = 25)

Method

Outcome variables, pain, and ankle dorsiflexion ROM were measured using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and universal goniometer, respectively. The trial used statistical analyses like Wilcoxon rank test for within-group comparisons and Mann-Whitney U test for between-group comparisons. The trial was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India; CTRI/2023/10/058837.

Result

There were 24 Females (Age = 21.4 ± 2.06) & 26 Males (Age = 20.5 ± 2.35). DN significantly reduced pain in the intervention group from NPRS 7 ± 1.30 to 2 ± 0.87 (p < 0.001), but in the control group, the pain increased from NPRS 7 ± 0.99 to 7 ± 1.05 (p = 0.009). There was no improvement in ankle ROM.

Conclusion

DN effectively alleviated MTSS-associated pain in the short-term but was not effective in improving ankle ROM.

KEYWORDS:

• Shin pain
• soleus
• trigger points
• therapy
• dry needling

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the MYAS-GNDU Department of Sports Sciences and Medicine for providing funding for conducting this study. The authors would like to thank all the players, team physiotherapists, and coaches who contributed to the data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions statement

All authors contributed fully to the fulfillment of this research article

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2024.2384611.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Amrinder Singh

Dr. Amrinder Singh, has good research experience in the field of Sport Rehabilitation, sports Biomechanics and Physical activity and Lifestyle Disorders. He has made significant contributions to both academia and professional sports. He has immense experience in research with 61 publications, 37 research papers and Book chapters in International and national journals. He has been a resource person at various national and international congresses and conferences, sharing his expertise on platforms such as the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine Congress and the World Congress on Sciences & Medicine in Cricket and many more. He has guided 44 master’s theses till now, supervised Ph.D. candidates, and played a pivotal role in organizing workshops and placement drives.

Nikita Wadhwani

Nikita Wadhwani, Physiotherapist with a Master’s in Sports Physiotherapy, experienced in working with athletes across various sports, focusing on ability assessment, rehabilitation, and performance training. Skilled in injury prevention and management for all ages and skill levels, and actively engaged in sports science research.

Monika Sharma

Monika Sharma, Research fellow with extensive experience and achievements, highly skilled and dedicated Physiotherapist with a strong background in sports medicine and performance analysis.