• jen@rossacupuncture.com

Ross Acupuncture Oakland

Oakland Acupuncture

  • About
    • Jennifer E. Ross, L.Ac.
    • Pricing & Rates
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Services
    • Acupuncture
    • Dry Needling
    • Bodywork
    • Herbs
  • Contact & Booking
  • Blog
  • Store
  • Oakland Clinic: (510) 629-9456

Sep 25 2018

Does Acupuncture Treat Plantar Fasciitis?

It does! It does I tell you! Acupuncture treats plantar fasciitis, and I’m gonna tell you all about Jimmy’s success story to boot (sorry). But first, lets talk a little bit about what this pesky ailment actually is.

 

This is the plantar fascia.

photo of the bottom of the foot, under the skin where the plantar fasia connects to the heel bone and the toes to support the arch

 

Plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes on the under side of the foot, and supports the arch. It is tension bearing, and acts like a shock absorber and a sort of spring and when you push off during running or walking. The inflammation of plantar fascia is called plantar fasciitis. It can be a nagging problem that comes and goes for years, and can last many months at a time.  Acupuncture is a very effective way to treat it, and avoid prolonged chronic pain.

What does plantar fasciitis feel like ?

The signature symptom of plantar fasciitis is sharp pain at the heel that is present when you first get up in the morning, or first stand after prolonged sitting.

red area at the underside of the heel shows where the plantar fascia becomes inflammed

This pain is present for the first 10-20 minutes or so of walking around, and then it gets better. Usually, while you are active and on your feet, you don’t feel the pain. Once it progresses, you may feel pain radiating up into your arch.

 

What causes plantar fasciitis?

Repetitive strain to the plantar fascia that creates microtears in the tissue and creates inflammation causes plantar fasciitis. This can have many sources:

  1. Excessive running or walking
  2. Improper arch support
  3. Prolonged standing
  4. Tight Achilles tendon and calves, in addition to the above

 

How do you treat plantar fasciitis with acupuncture?

So let’s get back to Johnny. Johnny came in complaining of intense pain in his heel when he wakes up, and after working a full shift as a professional chef. He’s had plantar fasciitis on and off in both feet since he was a teenager, and at present it was mostly in his left foot, along with some calf tightness.

He is an avid exerciser, and running was one of his favorite activities. He hadn’t been able to run at all for the past six months because the pain was too intense after.

When he would wake up, or after a 6 hour work shift, he could make his pain go from an 8-9/10 to a 5/10 by stretching out his foot and calf for about 15 minutes.

The plantar fasciitis treatment plan

After ruling out any other type of ankle and foot injury, like ligamentous laxity, bone spurs, arthritis, nerve pain, we did three different types of treatment for his plantar fasciitis.

Cupping

We started johnny’s treatment by doing cupping on his calf and achilles to loosen up this tight and knotted up soft tissue. I also had him move his foot in flexion and extension with the cups on to further encourage the breaking apart of tight tissues.

Dry Needling

I next found the trigger points in his calves and his Achilles tendon and used acupuncture needles to deactivate them. This is probably the least comfortable portion of the treatment, and the deactivation of trigger points also means a residual soreness after the treatment that resolves in a day or two.

Electro-Acupuncture

After first, cupping and second, dry needling, the last step was inserting acupuncture needles on either side of the ankle, pointing towards the heel. I attached the electro-stimulation machine to the acupuncture needles, and ran a current through the area. This is the part of the treatment that is used to increase the stimulation to the needles, for more blood flow to promote tissue healing. It also immediately works on the brain to stimulate neurotransmitters that decrease pain.

At Johnny’s 7th visit, we added gua sha to the treatment, which is a skin scrapping that addresses the gravely tissue underneath.  We also did direct acupuncture on the attachment of the plantar fascia at the heel. This is a really sensitive area to needle, and if the pain had gone away completely already, I wouldn’t have done this direct needling. But this had been an issue for over 20 years, it needed the direct work.

How long did it take to feel better?

Johnny’s progression was steady and consistent during his treatments. He came once a week, without skipping, and also complied with the home regimens.  Our goal was to stop the pain in the morning and after work, and return to running on a regular basis.

  1. After the first treatment Johnny noticed he was sore for about a day in his calves, but there was less pulling on the bottom of his foot. After his 6 hour work shift the pain was the same in his heel. The next morning after a long shift felt a little better.
  2. At the 3rd appointment, he reported the pain was 15-20% better after a work shift.
  3. When he came in after 4 treatments, he said he went for one run for about a half mile. It was painful after, but he could stretch his feet and the pain went away. Waking up, he felt about 25% improvement in his foot.
  4. At the 6th session Johnny’s foot would be tight after work, and after running a mile, but not painful. Waking up, there was no pain. At this point, Johnny spent about 3-4 minutes multiple times a day stretching his feet and calves. He also did gua sha himself on the bottom of his foot using a Chinese soup spoon.
  5. After 12 treatments the pain in his foot didn’t affect any of his activities. He spent about 3 minutes a few times a day stretching out, which was essential. The pain in the morning was gone, as well as after work. He was running 3-4 times a week, about 4.5 miles each time.

 

This is one of those ailments that responds so well to acupuncture, it seems nuts to not try it.

 

Written by Jen · Categorized: Dry Needling, Pain and Injury, Pain Management

Jun 05 2018

Does Acupuncture Treat Neck Pain?

Can you use acupuncture for neck pain, you ask? Oh yes, yes you can.

A Case Study of Acupuncture for Neck Pain

Let me tell you a very common tale of neck pain. This one involves a lady we shall call Andrea. Andrea works in an office managing projects. Andrea sits in front of a computer for 8-9 hours a day. Already sound familiar? AND Andrea uses a cell phone, a lot. Just like the rest of us.

When Andrea came to see me, she had neck and upper back pain that radiated up and caused headaches. She felt little bit of tingling in one of her arms, at the elbow, but the worst part was the headaches. Her neck pain and headaches increased with desk/computer work, and had been getting worse every day for the week before she came in.

Most Common Cause of Neck Pain

I’m gonna put Andrea’s story aside for a minute, and talk about why neck pain is so common in this technological age. This is why:

People on the street looking at their phones with their head and neck down and forward.
Text neck. It’s real. It hurts.

[Read more…]

Written by Jen · Categorized: Dry Needling, Pain and Injury

Mar 14 2018

Is Acupuncture Good For Sciatica?

Try Acupuncture for Sciatica.

Every week it seems I get a new patient presenting with sciatica. The severity varies from burning in their glutes to sharp, shooting pain down their leg, making walking very difficult. But just sitting makes it even worse. Fortunately, acupuncture for sciatica works very well. There are many strategies for it in Chinese medicine, just as there are many different presentations of sciatica.

What is Sciatica?

The sciatic nerve is the largest and longest nerve in our body. It starts at the nerve roots that come the lumbar and sacral spine. It travels through the gluteal region, down the legs  and into the feet. Although “true sciatica” is only felt behind the calves and at the bottom of the feet, there are many more symptoms associated with the term sciatica. [Read more…]

Written by Jen · Categorized: Dry Needling, Pain and Injury

Mar 01 2018

Acupuncture Treats Your Smartphone Thumb Pain

Smartphone screens cause our thumbs excess strain, acupunture for repetetive strain injury can help thumb pain
Using your smartphone too much causes repetitive strain injuries in Thumbs

Our poor poor thumbs. That digit that differentiates us as humans is taking the brunt of our obsession with screens. Do your thumbs hurt?  How many times are you swiping with your thumb per day? Repetitive strain is real, and chances are your smartphones, screens and keyboards aren’t going anywhere soon. Fortunately, acupuncture is a very good treatment solution for thumb pain, as well as wrist and forearm pain, due to repetitive strain injuries.

How Does Acupuncture Help Thumb Pain?

Acupuncture is such a good treatment option for thumbs because of three major reasons:

  • Acupuncture promotes blood flow
  • Acupuncture tightens ligament laxity
  • Acupuncture reduces inflammation

If you’ve been reading any of my case study blog posts, you will notice that this is a consistent theme.

The thumb, and joints of the thumb consist of a very small and tightly fitted area. Blood does not flow in large amounts to the area, and healing factors don’t get to the over-use injury. Also, when you over-use your thumb joints, the ligaments that keep them together stretch out. Now there is instability, and the structures become painful. Through continued use of an unstable joint, inflammation persists.

Janie the Massage Therapist: A Case Study of Acupuncture for Repetitive Strain and Thumb Pain

[Read more…]

Written by Jen · Categorized: Pain and Injury

Feb 20 2018

Acupuncture for Low Back Pain, Part 1: SI Joint Injury

The sacroiliac joint, which can be accessed with acupunture needles and treats low back pain
SI Joint pain can be helped with acupuncture

Many studies have been done that show how good acupuncture is for low back pain. But there are many different reasons for low back pain, and often people don’t know the SI joint can be the cause of their problems.

If only the back is treated, and pain doesn’t subside, perhaps the sacro-iliac joint needs to be addressed. Fortunately there is physical exam that can tell us if it’s a problem, and I always like to check it when a patient presents with low back pain.  When the root of a problem is the SI joint, the ligaments in this joint are loose, and instability causes pain.

Acupuncture tightens these ligaments using a method called “prolo-acupuncture“. Many of my patients once again do the activities they love after 6-8 treatments, pain-free. Sometimes even, as in the case I write about below.

Is the SI Joint Causing Low Back Pain?

First, what is an SI joint? It is your sacroiliac joint. It’s visualized by those two little dimples on your low back, just above the buttock. That joint is between the sacrum and ilium, and is held together with very strong ligaments. These act as support right in the center of your body.

It’s not always easy to determine if your sacroiliac joint is the problem, and sometimes it goes undiagnosed.

[Read more…]

Written by Jen · Categorized: Pain and Injury

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »
  • jen@rossacupuncture.com
oakland acupuncture
© 2018 Ross Acupuncture • 403 49th Street, Suite E, Oakland, CA 94609 • 510-629-9456
Website Made in Oakland