This foot pain case review centers around a 60-year-old man who came to our clinic complaining of pain and numbness in the middle three toes of his left foot. His condition had developed following a severe sciatic nerve flare six months earlier. His left hip muscle (piriformis) had gone into spasm, sending excruciating, shooting nerve pain down his leg and into his foot. We had resolved that pain in just three treatments.
Our patient was so relieved to be out of pain that he did not think to return to acupuncture to resolve the nerve pain in his foot. Unfortunately, the compression of his sciatic nerve during the acute attack was so severe that it led to chronic nerve damage in his feet. The discomfort was moderate, about a 5 out of 10, but nothing compared to the hip pain he had experienced – so he just ignored it. However, after six months, it finally dawned on our patient in this foot pain case review that acupuncture may be able to resolve this pain, so he booked an appointment.
Acupuncture Resolves Nerve Pain
We treat nerve pain all the time at Raleigh Acupuncture. It shows up in so many situations. For example, there is a condition called post-herpetic neuralgia, which is residual nerve pain following a shingles attack. Numbness and tingling pain can linger for years following shingles due to nerve damage that occurred during the viral attack associated with shingles. Doctors typically prescribe Neurontin (a.k.a. gabapentin) to mask the nerve pain. Many patients arrive at the clinic after taking this medication for years, complaining that it either doesn’t help or gives only temporary relief. Acupuncture resolved post-herpetic neuralgia quickly and efficiently.
Another type of nerve pain that dramatically improves with acupuncture is peripheral neuropathy, a condition where the feet become numb, often accompanied by tingling or burning pain. We have developed a fantastic acupuncture protocol to reduce and resolve this pain. The list goes on – acupuncture speeds the healing of acute shingles nerve pain, resolves acute sciatica (piriformis syndrome), resolves carpal tunnel syndrome (nerve impingement at the wrist), and pinched nerves in the neck.
Foot Pain Case Review
So when our old patient arrived at the clinic complaining of nerve pain and numbness in the three middle toes on his left foot, we knew we could help him. His presentation was a clear case of nerve damage from the earlier impingement from his sciatica attack six months earlier. We explained that nerves take a long time to heal, and often they will not completely recover on their own. But acupuncture has an uncanny ability to heal nerves, helping them restore normal function, even after being damaged for years.
Acupuncture Treatment Protocol
Our treatment protocol in this foot pain case review included local points on the left foot to heal the damaged nerves, organ points on the body to increase Qi and Blood circulation, and Chinese herbs to restore normal nerve function. The treatments are safe and relaxing – all needles are sterile, single-use, and hair-thin. And acupuncture has a naturally sedating effect, so many patients fall asleep during their sessions – including this foot pain patient.
Fast, Effective Healing
He started feeling the difference after just one session. The pain in his toes entirely resolved after his second treatment, leaving only numbness. After four sessions, his numbness had decreased in area, no longer in his foot but just in the tips of his three middle toes. After another four sessions, the numbness was gone, and he was back to normal. He couldn’t believe it – and also couldn’t believe that he had waited six months before coming for acupuncture!
We find this happens frequently – we treat a patient for one condition, and then when they develop another state, they don’t realize that acupuncture can help. For example, they’ll say, “Well, I thought acupuncture was only good at resolving migraines. I didn’t know it could help with insomnia as well”. Or they’ll think, “Acupuncture resolved my neck pain, but I had no idea it could also treat hip pain.” Check out “Conditions We Treat” on the Home Page of our website for a complete list of health issues that can benefit from acupuncture treatment. There’s also a link to that page at the bottom of this foot pain case review. You might be surprised at all the different conditions that benefit from acupuncture.
Next Steps
Give acupuncture a try if you or a loved one are struggling with foot pain. We also have great success treating plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, big toe pain, arch pain, heel pain, and any other pain associated with the feet. In general, foot issues are slow to heal due to distance from the heart and poor blood circulation. Acupuncture promotes blood circulation and prompts the body to send healing energy to the feet, dramatically speeding up healing.
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Additional Foot Pain Resources
Video about our plantar fasciitis treatment.
Video about our nerve pain treatment.
Plantar fasciitis research study.
Information about all the conditions we treat.
Focus Keyphrase: foot pain case review
What our Clients are Saying
I was referred to Raleigh Acupuncture a few months ago because I was having a problem with a bone spur affecting my Achilles. The bone spur caused tremendous pain in my ankle and heel. Physical therapy ordered by a doctor really did not help. My doctor said that if the physical therapy did not help he could do surgery, but it would be very painful and would have an 8-9 month recovery period. Raleigh Acupuncture was my last hope. After a few treatments it was less painful when I walked. As I continued the treatments the pain totally went away. Now surgery is not even necessary. They have also helped me with my migraine headaches and restless leg issues. Acupuncture has made a huge difference in the quality of my life.
For the past 13 years I suffered from peripheral neuropathy in my calf, ankle and foot. I tried numerous medications, therapy with lights, neuromuscular massages and back decompression. I felt like I had stones under the ball of my foot. After the first couple of sessions with Dr. Mark, feelings returned to my calf, ankle and the “stone like feeling” under the ball of my foot began subsiding. Thanks to Dr. Mark, I am able now to walk without pain and discomfort. The extraordinary care and attentiveness I am receiving from Raleigh Acupuncture in treating my neuropathy is remarkable and I recommend them without reserve!
I’m a semi-professional weight lifter. I never had a problem until my hip went out doing squats. The pain was tremendous, like a sharp nerve pain down the back of my leg into the calf. It had sidelined me for two months while I tried unsuccessfully to work out the pain. Then a buddy suggested acupuncture. He had a similar hip pain and got relief at Raleigh Acupuncture. I went there and got treated. They told me to stop stretching until the injury was healed. I followed their instructions and got half a dozen treatments. The pain started easing after the first few treatments. I continued for another 6 treatments and was totally cured. I was able to get back to lifting with no residual effects of the injury. I’ve recommended this practice to a number of friends since that time and they all have had good experiences.
I have neuropathy that is a burning, tingling pain down my legs and into my feet. The doctor said there was nothing I could do besides pain medicine, since I am diabetic. The meds didn’t help much and made me feel groggy all the time. I tried acupuncture, after seeing a segment on Dr. Oz. I found Raleigh Acupuncture online and liked their website. They had a lot of useful information. The treatments were interesting. They used electric acupuncture on my legs and feet that felt like a tingling massage. They said it
would take a few treatments to start kicking in, and they were right. The burning pain slowly started to recede, and the tingling went away. I was truly amazed to feel such a difference in my legs and feet. I know so many people with neuropathy, and they are afraid to try acupuncture. I think they are crazy not to try it. What a difference not to be in constant pain anymore. I don’t need medication for my legs.
I woke up one morning and started getting these excruciatingly painful shooting electric pains on the left side of my face. My wife took me to the emergency room and they said I had trigeminal neuralgia. They gave me some pain medicine, but a nurse there suggested I try acupuncture. She had this pain once and it was cured by acupuncture. She gave me the name of Raleigh Acupuncture. When I explained the situation they took me in the same day. After just one treatment I started feeling better. They saw me every day for six days, at which point the pain was completely gone. What a life saver. I strongly recommend getting acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia.
My husband Arthur and I have used Mark and Jinmei bi-weekly for at least 4 years, for a variety of treatments, including general well-being. Both of us felt our ailments healed with the treatment. I had a sprained hip flexor which a sports doctor told me would take 6 weeks to heal… it was gone after 2 visits! Mark and Jinmei are very professional and learned, and we have every confidence in them. Even though we pay out of pocket, we obviously feel that the acupuncture is worth it. We both highly recommend Raleigh Acupuncture. You won’t regret it!
Last month when I was working out at the gym I injured my hip. It was diagnosed as sciatica. Two cortisone shots later the pain was still there, so I came to Raleigh Acupuncture. I was skeptical that it would work because the pain was so bad. But sure enough, they got rid of the pain. And it never came back. These guys are good. I highly recommend them.
I LOVE this place! I LOVE these people. Caring and professional, great at what they do. Living with foot pain for SO LONG now, and it was cleared up after just a couple of sessions. Very reasonable on the price, too. Did I mention I LOVE this place!!
My husband is a runner and came to Raleigh Acupuncture with a bad case of plantar fasciitis. He runs about 25 miles a week and does half marathons. In 3 treatments he was pain-free. And they told him he didn’t even have to stop running while they were treating him. It’s been six months and the pain has not returned.