1413 - Evaluation of the Impact of Dry Needling on Lower Extremity Injury in Athletes: A Prospective Study – Preliminary Results

Objectives: The high-impact and repetitive nature of endurance sports often results in lower extremity (LE) musculoskeletal (MSK) injury. Dry needling (DN) has emerged as a promising modality for LE MSK injuries. The objective of this study was to evaluate DN’s effect on athletes’ injury outcomes.

Design: Adult and pediatric athletes with LE MSK injuries were prospectively enrolled from an academic sports medicine outpatient clinic. Participants completed a modified University of Wisconsin Runners Index (UWRI), a Lower Extremity Functionality Scale (LEFS), and an Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport (IPPR-S) survey at 3 days and 1-week, 2-weeks, and 4-weeks after initial dry needling. UWRI is a composite score out of 32; LEFS and IPPR-S are out of 100. Descriptive analyses were conducted on the data.

Results: Average age of participants (n = 22) was 27.95 (± 15.5 years). 54.5% identified as female, 63.6% identified as runners, and 45.4% were recreational level athletes. The calf was the most common injury location (31.8%). At 3 days, females had greater improvement in LEF (4.9 ± 5.5 vs. 2.83 ± 11.5) and UWRI (3.9 ± 5.4 versus 0.75 ± 9.7) as compared to males. Males had a greater increase in IPPR-S (6.5 ± 21.5. versus 3.1 ± 16.39) compared to females. At 1 week, females had greater improvement in UWRI (4.8 ± 5.4 vs 3 ± 10.7) as compared to males, while males had greater improvement in LEF (6.7 ± 11.0 vs 5.9 ± 6.7) and IPPR-S (10.5 ± 20.76) compared to females.

Conclusions: DN in acute treatment of LE MSK injuries showed improvement in athlete LE function, self-reported sport capability, and psychological readiness to return to sport. Limited demographic, small sample size, and modified surveys are limitations of the study, indicating the necessity of continuing further research on the topic.