Plantar Faciitis
Planta fasciitis is painful condition due to the tissue damage or inflammation at plantar fascia which located the underside of the calcaneus (heel bone). Planta fasciitis is the most common heel pain in Australia around 1 in 10 people will develop plantar fasciitis in their lifetime and female has significantly higher risk than male. Risk factors include high impact sports, prolong standing, obesity, aging and plantar heel spurs.
A doctor will diagnose after a physical examination to check the condition of feet and signs and symptoms. Some cases, your GP asks an X-ray or scan to rule out other possible causes of pain. Most of cases, your doctor will recommend to take pain killers (i.e. ibuprofen, paracetamol), or you can have specific stretching exercises with physiotherapists, or a good supported and well fitted shoes are recommended. If these treatments are not working for several months, the following treatments will be recommended by your doctor.
- Steroid Injection: A steroid medication injection into the pain area to provide temporary pain relief but multiple injections are not recommended.
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy: This will increase heeling process but not yet shown to be consistently effective.
- Surgery: This is an option only for when the pain is very severe and other treatments fails.
In Chinese Medicine, our approach is to reduce pain and increase a healing process using various treatment methods. According to Acupuncture in Medicine 1998; 16:66-68, the acupuncture is effective in treating chronic heel pain due to plantar fasciitis.We offer acupuncture treatment conjunction with electroacupuncture or RF(Radiofrequency) treatment depending on a patient condition. Generally, the multiple treatment sessions are required to improve this condition.