Dry Needling for Knee Pain Conditions: Is It Effective?

There are a multitude of painful conditions affecting the knee joint, including, but not limited to: osteoarthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, ligament sprains/ ruptures, etc. So if we incorporate dry needling into a structured and progressive exercise program, can it be beneficial to the right person?

This systematic review in 2020 looked at trigger point dry needling (TRP-DN) and it’s relation to improving disability related to various knee conditions that affect the knee joint., and compared it to a stand-alone treatment and when used in combination with “other treatments”. Ten studies (6 on patello-femoral pain, 2 knee osteoarthritis, 2 post-surgery knee pain) were included. The meta-analysis found a moderate effect size of dry needling for reducing pain & improving related disability as compared to a comparison group at short-term. The main effect was observed for patello-femoral pain, pain in the front aspect of the knee. No significant effects were observed at mid- or long-term follow-ups. The risk of bias was generally low, but the heterogenicity and the imprecision of the results downgraded the level of evidence.

The author’s concluded there is low to moderate evidence that TrP-DN has a positive effect on pain and related disability in patello-femoral pain, but not knee osteoarthritis or post-surgery knee pain, at short-term. That being said, the way we teach DN thorough AOPT Seminars always utilizes DN in the short term to address pain reduction, but ALWAYS combined with progressive and (cautiously) aggressive) strengthening activities, which is where the BEST combination of treatment approaches merge to get patients better, FASTER!

Rahou-El-Bachiri, Youssef, et al. "Effects of trigger point dry needling for the management of knee pain syndromes: a systematic review and meta-analysis." Journal of Clinical Medicine 9.7 (2020): 2044.