Immediate effect of dry needling in gastrocnemius-soleus muscle on pain and flexibility: pre-post experimental study

Police constables are more prone to musculoskeletal problems which lead to reduced work efficiency because of their work demands. Lower limb pain, tightness and fatigue are major issues of physical health for police constables who require long standing period. Therefore, immediate effect of dry needling was done in police constables with gastrocnemius-soleus muscle pain. 58 subjects were included based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Visual analogue scale, pressure pain threshold and calf stretch test was used as an outcome measures. Analysis was done by dependent t test and Wilcoxon matched pair test. VAS, pressure pain threshold and calf stretch test showed significant effect post-treatment. Pain was reduced significantly on VAS than pain pressure threshold and flexibility of gastrocnemius-soleus muscle. Study concluded that dry needling is effective in police constables with gastrocnemius-soleus muscle to reduce pain and increase flexibility.