There are numerous distinctive treatments of plantar fasciitis – steroids, NSAIDs, orthotics, surgery, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy – all these treatments have turned out to be quite effective for plantar fasciitis. However, one question that crosses most people’s minds is;

“Can acupuncture help in treating plantar fasciitis?”

Well, acupuncture can be used for several musculoskeletal conditions, which also include heel pain. Different studies ended up giving different results. However, two studies were published. Both of them used acupuncture alone for the control group. The results, though, were contrary.

One of the groups claimed that acupuncture treatment is better than steroid injections. While the other reported the exact opposite. These studies lacked scientific objectivity, which is why it was significant to conduct more extensive research to figure out whether acupuncture was effective for plantar fasciitis or not.

Plantar fasciitis is usually diagnosed as a repetitive stress disorder by a trained acupuncturist. Acupuncture is mainly used to stimulate Qi and release blood inactivity in the energy channels, promoting healing.

Even though it might sound a bit unclear for now, different scientific studies and research show that acupuncture can be effective in relieving pain along with speeding up recovery. Thus, one can say that plantar fasciitis can be treated through acupuncture effectively. The treatment is recommended twice a week for prominent results.

According to different experiments, a group of patients was divided into two; the treatment and control groups. Both these groups were selected for acupuncture treatment to see whether it was effective or not. The needles were inserted at a pressure point, which helps relieve the heel pain in the members of the treatment group. While needling on the control group was done at a point that provides general pain relief. After a couple of sessions, it was concluded that needling at a specific point in the feet turned out to be more effective.

Therefore, we can say that if the needles during the acupuncture treatments are inserted in a specific area, the pain caused by plantar fasciitis reduces within a few weeks.