BACKGROUND: Dry needling (DN) and Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) are common in calcaneal epin treatment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the effects of both treatments on proprioception, balance, pain, and functional status. METHODS: 90 patients which consist of 45 patients as DN plus self stretching and 45 patients as ESWT plus self stretching. Patients in each group were treated 1 session per week for 4 weeks. Assessments of 15degree ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion proprioception, one leg standing test (OLST), foot function index (FFI), visual analog scale (VAS) (first step, resting, activity), quality of life scale (SF-36) were performed. The outcomes were recorded at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 4 weeks after the post-treatment. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were determined in VAS (resting, first step, activity) and FFI values in both treatment methods (p < 0.05). In OLST, SF-36, and FFI evaluations, DN was statistically more effective than the ESWT method (p < 0.001). In the 15degree proprioception evaluations, a significant difference was observed in the patient's ankle in both methods, while the DN method is more effective in the indicated stages of evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: Both methods applied to epin calcanei patients were effective, but the DN method is a more effective treatment method than the ESWT method in terms of balance, proprioception, foot function, and quality of life.

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