A Case of Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is a leading cause in heel pain and foot sole pain.  It is commonly the result of long hours walking on hard flooring, but runners and other athletes are frequent sufferers as well.  The pain is typically most noticeable on waking from a night of sleep and slightly improves with more movement.

Conventional medical treatments are massaging the bottom of the feet with a hard tennis ball every morning and changing to better shoes.

However, even with more comfortable shoes, the condition does not always improve right away.

CASE:  25 year old office receptionist & clerk with chronic foot pain that starts first thing in the morning, improves slightly, then steadily gets worse as her work day progresses.  Her work requires her to walk from office to office for 9-10 hours a day.  Physical examination revealed lower than normal foot arch, pain all along the heels of both feet, center of the sole, Achiles tendons, ankles, and calf muscles.

1st Treatment:  acupuncture needles used on the bottom of both feet, based on points of tenderness and traditional acupuncture recommendations.  Additional points were placed on lower legs, forearms, and wrist.  Two acupuncture points were also bled with diabetic lancets to get energy flowing throughout the meridian/energy channels.  Patient report tenderness on the bottom of her feet following the treatment.  Patient was advised to get orthotic shoes from chiropodist.

2nd Treatment (3 days after 1st treatment):  Homeopathic remedies were injected subcutaneously at 4-6 locations on each leg to help body remove excess inflammation.  Patient called to say foot pain is gone.

3rd Treatment (3 weeks after 2nd treatment):  Pain has started to return, but compared to the first visit, pain severity is less than 50% and points of tenderness is less than 70%.  Similar acupuncture points as first treatment were used on the feet, calf, and hands.  Homeopathic remedies injected subcutaneously at 4-6 location on lower legs.  Patient is waiting on orthotic shoes to correct her foot arch.  Patient report pain relief the following day.