Ultrasound-Guided Acupotomy Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis: A Systematic Review

족저근막염에 대한 초음파 유도하 도침치료의 효과: 체계적 문헌고찰

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided acupotomy treatment for plantar fasciitis. Methods We conducted online searches using 9 databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Research Information Sharing Service, DBpia, ScienceON, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, and Korean studies Information Service System, up to May 21, 2026. Randomized controlled trials and retrospective comparative studies that evaluated ultrasound-guided acupotomy treatment for plantar fasciitis were included. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool version 2.0 and risk of bias in non-randomized studies of interventions. Results Five clinical studies were included. The meta-analysis showed favorable effects of ultrasound-guided acupotomy treatment compared with conventional acupotomy in reducing pain measured by the visual analogue scale (mean difference, MD; -0.71 [95% confidence interval, CI; -1.08 to -0.35], p=0.0001) and improving foot function measured by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hind-foot scale (MD; 6.97 [95% CI; 4.18 to 9.76], p<0.0001). Conclusions Our systematic review found favorable results on the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided acupotomy treatment for pain and foot function in plantar fasciitis. However, evidence was limited due to the small number of included studies, heterogeneity among studies, risk of bias, and insufficient reporting of adverse events. Further well-designed clinical studies are needed to obtain stronger evidence.