PainRelief.com Interview with:
Dr. Pablo Herrero Gallego. PT, PhD.
Head of iPhysio Research Group.
Editor-in-Chief Journal of Invasive Techniques in Physical Therapy
Zaragoza, Spain

PainRelief.com:  What is the background for this study?

Response: The background of this study is that there has been an increasing use of minimally invasive techniques in physiotherapy in the last years, that apparently leading to very good results in the clinical practice, but there are no studies comparing the effectiveness of different treatment modalities. In the case of this study, about plantar heel pain (PHP), many physiotherapists use dry needling (DN) or percutaneous needle electrolysis (PNE) to treat myofascial trigger points when conservative treatment fails. However, although some clinicians claim that PNE has a superior effect to DN because it adds a galvanic current to the mechanical stimuli with the needle, there is no evidence to support this. Because of it, we decided to conduct this first study comparing these two treatment options for PHP.