text_1: Dry needling offers alternative to cortisone injection for hip pain
text_2: This news release from an orthopedics journal relates a study finding that dry needling, which uses filament needles to stimulate trigger points in the muscles, is just as effective as cortisone injections when it comes to reducing pain and swelling caused by greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), a common hip condition. We applaud its restrained tone but would have liked to get a sense of how much symptom improvement patients experienced during the six-week trial as well as a discussion of costs and availability of these two treatment options. This release says the effectiveness of steroid injections “is increasingly being questioned. An equally effective treatment with fewer adverse side effects would be beneficial.” To conclude that dry needling is “not inferior” to a treatment that isn’t very effective doesn’t say much. There is no slam-dunk treatment for chronic hip pain. But if it comes with low risk and a modest cost, dry needling might be an alternative to steroids for combating chronic pain. Also, dry needling might offer an option for patients who haven’t felt relief from steroids or are precluded from taking them due to medication interactions. As the release states, GTPS is very common and at times very painful. A safe, successful treatment that rapidly resolves pain (beyond normal natural healing) would benefit many individuals. A specific risk profile of a single cortisone injection in the soft tissues has not been determined but most researchers and practicing physicians would consider it to be minimal.