One 46-year-old woman with calcific patellar tendinopathy improved in pain, function, and tendon ultrasound appearance over 11 months using dry needling, spinal manipulation, and progressive exercise together. This is a single case, not proof the approach works, and no component can be isolated.
The patient started at 7/10 pain and 50/80 on the LEFS. Her pain met the 2-point minimal clinically important difference within three weeks, and her LEFS exceeded its 9-point threshold at every follow-up. By three months she met all her goals, and at 11 months she squatted 215 pounds without pain.
Treatment combined HVLA thrust manipulation at every session, ultrasound-guided dry needling with electrical stimulation from weeks 2 through 12, blood flow restriction exercise in weeks 3-6, and progressive strengthening. The patient was seen twice weekly for 12 weeks, then twice monthly for six months.
Ultrasound showed calcific deposits and partial tendon tearing at baseline. By three months the deposits were smaller and fewer, and by 11 months the tendon had a more fibrillar appearance with no pain on probe pressure.
Single-blind randomized controlled trial. Sixty-four participants were randomized across two intervention arms and assessed at twelve weeks for the primary outcome…
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Summarised by AI from the abstract, not the full paper. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →