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Efficacy of acupuncture for chronic recalcitrant plantar fasciitis: A randomized trial

Year: 2026

Type: article

Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial

Abstract: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a leading cause of heel pain, yet effective treatments for chronic, recalcitrant cases are scarce. The aim of this randomized, no-treatment-controlled trial was to assess whether acupuncture (a combination of high- and low-intensity acupuncture) would reduce pain in patients with chronic recalcitrant PF compared to a waitlist control. Participants were randomly assigned (2:1:1) to high-intensity acupuncture (n=60), low-intensity acupuncture (n=30), or waitlist control (n=30). The primary outcome was the proportion of responders (≥50% reduction in worst pain intensity) at week 4 for the combined acupuncture groups versus the waitlist control group. Key secondary outcomes included responder rates for high- and low-intensity acupuncture versus waitlist control at weeks 4, 8, and 16. Of 120 randomized participants, 109 (90.8%) completed the trial. At week 4, the proportion of responders was significantly higher in the combined groups than in the waitlist control group (56.7% [95%CI, 46.4%-66.9%] vs 33.3% [95%CI, 16.5%-50.2%]; difference: 23.3% [95%CI, 3.6%-43.1%]; P =0.02), with a similar trend observed through week 16. A graded response to acupuncture intensity was evident: at week 16, the responder rate in the high-intensity acupuncture group was 76.7%, compared to 36.7% in the waitlist control group (difference: 40.0% [95% CI, 19.7%-60.3%]; P <0.001), while the low-intensity acupuncture group had a nonsignificant 20.0% difference (95% CI, -4.7% to 44.7%; P =0.11). Among patients with chronic recalcitrant PF, acupuncture, particularly high-intensity acupuncture, notably reduced pain compared with waitlist control, with lasting effects up to week 16. Keywords • Question: To evaluate whether acupuncture is effective in treating patients with chronic recalcitrant plantar fasciitis？ • Findings: This trial demonstrated that acupuncture, when compared with no treatment, showed greater likelihood for clinically significant improvement in heel pain after 4 weeks of treatment; the efficacy lasted through 16 weeks without significant AEs.

Source: Complementary Therapies in Medicine

DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2026.103329