Acupuncture improves plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammatory condition of the plantar fascia of the foot. It is the most common cause of heel pain, and occurs in all types of athletic and active individuals. People with plantar fasciitis often feel pain and stiffness in the morning when taking first steps, or upon standing after prolonged sitting or rest. The pain usually improves after walking, but it gets worse following walking or standing for a long time. Plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue on the bottom of the foot which originates near the heel bone. The band extends through the sole of the foot towards the toes and supports the arch. Plantar fasciitis often results from injury, excessive walking, and gradually wear and tear of the plantar fascia tissue. Overweight and wearing flat-soled shoes usually increase the risk of developing plantar fasciitis. Chronic plantar fasciitis can lead to degenerative changes within the structure of the foot. Conventional treatment includes pain relief medication, exercise such as stretching, and footwear modification.

Acupuncture enhances blood circulation and reduces local inflammation in the foot. Many studies showed that acupuncture has homeostatic effect by balancing sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve signals in the foot and reduces the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines leading to diminishing of inflammatory responses.

In a clinical study patients with chronic refractory plantar fasciitis were divided into two groups. One group was given conventional treatment while other group was given conventional treatment plus ten sessions of electroacupuncture treatment twice a week. Endpoints included a success rate determined by a minimum of a 50% decrease in Visual Analog Scale and Foot Function Index. Results showed that “Visual Analog Scale decreased significantly from 6.00 ± 1.69 to 1.89 ± 1.59 and from 6.27 ± 2.34 to 5.40 ± 2.26 in the acupuncture and control groups, respectively. Foot Function Index decreased significantly only in the acupuncture group (p < 0.05). Subjects in the acupuncture group obtained higher success rates than those in control group (80% and 13.3%, respectively). At the sixth week follow-up, subjects in the acupuncture group showed a better Foot Function Index and success rate for pain during the day than those in the control group (p < 0.05)”.

The authors concluded that “electroacupuncture coupled with conventional treatments provided a success rate of 80% in chronic planar fasciitis which was more effective than conventional treatments alone. The effects lasted for at least six weeks.”

Reference:

Kumnerddee W et al., Efficacy of electro-acupuncture in chronic plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Chin Med. 2012;40(6):1167-76. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X12500863.    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23227789