acupuncture for plantar fasciitis?

@lwbarker This is a very good question. I don't have an answer for your question however I can tell you that I had plantar fasciitis for about a year. It was so painful and debilitating. I tried physical therapy that included taping my feet, stretching exercises and I already had orthotics. On the advice of my PT I bought Oofos slip on shoes that have arch support to wear in the house and I never went barefoot or wore slippers during that time period. For summer I bought Oofos sandals with the same kind of support. Finally here is what worked for me. Stretching my handstrings, calves, and feet with yoga downward facing dog (I discovered this quite by accident) and cortisone injections in my feet. Those injections must have "broken" up the fasciitis because it went away and did not come back.

What have you tried so far? What has your daughter tried?

Thanks for sharing your experience. My PF is just recent even though I have always been an exercise person with high arches. Surprised it hasn’t surfaced before. My daughter used to run before bad knee, then recent hip replacement, now walks a lot but this PF has made it difficult for her this past year. Stretching seems to help me…I have always done yoga. She also does Pilates and wears a device at night that keeps her foot/heel stretched at an angle. She would try almost anything…acupuncture is a new thing to try.
Thanks for your ideas.

Hi There!

Years ago, had it in both feet. I was given a prescription for the splints (they look like ski boots) that passively stretch the facia. I used it for short periods of time. You can’t walk on them you have to use them while resting. They help. You can adjust the tension manually. Feel better soon!

I had PF and thought I'd be in a wheelchair within a couple of years b/c the pain was so intense. I felt like I had a nail sticking straight up into each of my heels. I did all of the recommended remedies - stretching, a boot at night while sleeping, no bare feet, rolling my feet on iced water bottles, custom orthotics, pricey shoes with arch supports, and cortisone injections. Nothing worked. Finally, my podiatrist suggested I try a procedure called RadioFrequency Ablation. Radio waves are sent through a precisely placed needle to heat an area of the nerve. This prevents pain signals from being sent back to the brain. It was a 100% lifesaver for me. The recovery was barely anything and I haven't had even a hint of pain since this was done in an outpatient clinic back in 2008. If it gets to be horrible like mine was, be sure to check it out. It's amazing.

Thanks for this!

Hi, I have had acupuncture treatments for this last year for my muscle spasms in my thoracic area due to surgery. It has been a life saver. Acupuncture from a licensed acupuncturist, can help with plantar fasciitis. I’m sure someone on this site will hopefully pop in and have used acupuncture for specifically for PF. I’m just saying acupuncture is a treatment that I believe will work.

About 25 years ago I had severe plantar fasciitis in both heels. After trying all of the usual recommendations, I had one session of acupuncture. After a few days I suddenly realized that my feet weren't hurting any more. It wasn't immediate, but it didn't take very long, and so far it has not returned. I would certainly recommend that anyone try it. Good luck!

So far nothing has worked for me either,but haven't tried acupuncture on my feet, have had it for my knee and go for monthly treatments, helps reduce the swelling somewhat, but pain returns within a day, trying red light therapy right now and will see if that helps, between either PF or neuropathy and my knee needing replacement I am having trouble walking though try to keep it up to some extent, find if you don't keep your muscles active it gets worse.

My Son used the cold pool at our gym ( 55 degrees) for 15 minutes episodes and it worked! He also slept in a plantar boot at nigjt.