Acupuncture for leg and foot pain

by Vivian Takafuji, Ph.D, L.Ac, Dipl. OM

We don’t often pay much attention to our legs or feet unless there are issues there to attend to. But those of us with a chronic lower limb injury or musculoskeletal instability in the arch of the foot can attest to how unrelenting such an affliction can be. Managing ongoing foot and leg pain can be exasperating; every step is an excruciating reminder of the problem.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views all pain as a blockage in the circulation of Qi and/or Blood. Thus, the primary strategy of an acupuncture treatment is to locate and remove the “blocks” with careful insertion of needles along the meridians affected. The lower limb is often affected by “dampness”, i.e edema, due to gravity pooling fluids in a downward manner and acupoints are often included to assist in the improved circulation of fluid in the body. In cases of known injury to bone, a strategy to boost the Kidney energy to refill the “Marrow” will be employed; Chinese herbs can also be considered to speed up bone tissue healing.

Of course, each case is unique and warrants a proper medical history intake, differential diagnosis and treatment strategy. For example, a trained acupuncturist will identify other pathologies involved in specific cases (e.g., there is sometimes a hormonal imbalance involved in plantar fasciitis in addition to micro-tearing of the fascia). TCM also includes manual therapies in addition to acupuncture, such as Tuina (Chinese massage), Moxibustion (warming of acupoints/meridians with burning of the Chinese herb, mugwort), Guasha (skin scraping) and Cupping (the lifting out of stuck Qi and blood); oftentimes, one or more of these additional modalities are employed to relieve pain.

One of my favorite personal sayings is: “Happy feet, Happy body”! Don’t hesitate further to explore if TCM can help manage your leg or foot pain. Call Thrive proactive health to schedule your initial acupuncture visit and find some relief today.