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Background <p>Musculoskeletal conditions are highly prevalent and disabling conditions that involve increased pain and reduced function.</p> Objective <p>The objective of this review is to compare the effectiveness of dry needling (DN) with that of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in patients with musculoskeletal conditions.</p> Methods <p>PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CENTRAL were searched for randomized trials published up to March 2025. The outcomes of this review were function, pain, and pain pressure threshold. Quality assessment was conducted using the PEDro scale, and the certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE tool.</p> Results <p>Nine trials, encompassing 464 participants, were included in this review. The trials involved participants diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome, plantar fasciitis, and iliotibial band syndrome. At the end of treatment, no significant difference between DN and ESWT was observed regarding pain intensity (SMD = −0.21, CI: −0.53 to 0.11; <i>p</i> = 0.2). However, subgroup analysis revealed differences favoring DN in the pain management of iliotibial band syndrome (SMD = −0.80, CI: −1.45 to −0.15; <i>p</i> = 0.02) and plantar fasciitis (MD = −1.2, CI: −2.03 to −0.37; <i>p</i> = 0.005) at follow-up. The evidence was graded as low to very low certainty due to imprecision and inconsistency.</p> Conclusion <p>Current evidence suggests that there is no superiority of DN over ESWT in terms of improving pain and function in musculoskeletal disorders at the end of treatment. Some improvements favoring DN were noted at follow-up. However, the results of this review are limited by heterogeneity and a&#xa0;very limited number of studies, thus warranting investigation by future studies.</p>

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Dry needling versus extracorporeal shockwave therapy in musculoskeletal conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月1日

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  • Ahmed Ibrahim Rashad,
  • Mina Atif Melika,
  • Nancy Mahmoud Youssef,
  • Yasmin Safwat Abdelmageed,
  • Yomna Mohamed Ezzeldin

摘要

Background

Musculoskeletal conditions are highly prevalent and disabling conditions that involve increased pain and reduced function.

Objective

The objective of this review is to compare the effectiveness of dry needling (DN) with that of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in patients with musculoskeletal conditions.

Methods

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CENTRAL were searched for randomized trials published up to March 2025. The outcomes of this review were function, pain, and pain pressure threshold. Quality assessment was conducted using the PEDro scale, and the certainty of evidence was assessed using the GRADE tool.

Results

Nine trials, encompassing 464 participants, were included in this review. The trials involved participants diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome, plantar fasciitis, and iliotibial band syndrome. At the end of treatment, no significant difference between DN and ESWT was observed regarding pain intensity (SMD = −0.21, CI: −0.53 to 0.11; p = 0.2). However, subgroup analysis revealed differences favoring DN in the pain management of iliotibial band syndrome (SMD = −0.80, CI: −1.45 to −0.15; p = 0.02) and plantar fasciitis (MD = −1.2, CI: −2.03 to −0.37; p = 0.005) at follow-up. The evidence was graded as low to very low certainty due to imprecision and inconsistency.

Conclusion

Current evidence suggests that there is no superiority of DN over ESWT in terms of improving pain and function in musculoskeletal disorders at the end of treatment. Some improvements favoring DN were noted at follow-up. However, the results of this review are limited by heterogeneity and a very limited number of studies, thus warranting investigation by future studies.