Acupuncture Might Help Your Plantar Fasciitis Pain
Plantar fasciitis can take a long time to heal, and during that time, you might suffer from heel pain. If you're looking for a solution for pain relief, then consider acupuncture treatments. Here's a look at how these treatments can be used to treat plantar fasciitis and how they are done.
How Acupuncture Helps Plantar Fasciitis
Pain from plantar fasciitis is often caused by inflammation. One of the effects of acupuncture is to decrease inflammation and thereby decrease pain. Plus, the treatments can release your body's own pain-relieving chemicals to further help with pain relief. In addition, the stimulation from the needles may trigger tissue healing and promote blood flow to your foot.
How Acupuncture Treatments Are Done
Needles are inserted in your foot in the precise location to treat plantar fasciitis, which may include the heel and lower leg. Acupuncture can be used to treat a number of foot conditions, and each has its own puncture points. The needles are inserted for several minutes at a time during a session. You might need one or more sessions each week for a number of weeks. You may notice a decrease in heel pain right away, but it can also take a few weeks.
The needles don't usually hurt, although you might feel sensations while they're being inserted and while they are in your foot. Plus, the skin on your feet is usually thinner than other places on your body, so the sensations may be stronger. If you feel pain or discomfort, let the practitioner know so your treatment can be adjusted. You might feel the most discomfort during your initial treatment.
What Treatments Complement Acupuncture
You might consider other treatments to help speed the healing of your foot. Physical therapy might be a good choice. Stretching your foot may be beneficial, and your therapist might even recommend wearing a foot brace that keeps your foot stretched while you're at rest.
Your physical therapist might also try dry needling. Dry needling is similar to acupuncture, but a little different. Dry needling involves inserting needles into muscle trigger points rather than acupuncture points, and it might be a good addition to your treatment for plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis can be difficult to heal. You might have it in both feet at the same time, and that makes it difficult to keep up with your activities when both feet have pain. Your doctor has several options for treating plantar fasciitis, such as wearing a brace, or surgery in more severe cases.
If you prefer a more natural approach, then acupuncture might be the solution. The treatments trigger your body to initiate healing and pain relief on your own, so you might be able to avoid medications and other medical treatments such as surgery.
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