Acupuncture

Podiatric Acupuncture is the use of acupuncture as a therapeutic tool, by podiatrists, to treat diseases of the lower limbs. It’s even possible to use acupuncture to provide anaesthesia during podiatric surgery, however we usually use  local anaesthetic.

Acupuncture needles are placed along specific pathways or meridians at acupoints, or at trigger points. The needles stimulate the release of natural painkillers called Endorphins etc., which help relieves the discomfort associated with painful disorders.

Podiatric Acupuncture is a system which can influence three areas of health care:

• Promotion of foot health and well-being
• Prevention of podiatric medical conditions
• Treatment of various podiatric medical conditions

Acupuncture has been used to treat many podiatric medical problems, but is particularly useful for pain. It can help with joint pains and neurological conditions relating to the lower limb. It has also been used to treat problems such as plantar fasciitis, Morton’s neuroma and leg cramps. While acupuncture is often associated with pain control, in the hands of a well-trained podiatrist it has much broader applications. Acupuncture can be effective as the only treatment used, or as the support or adjunct to other podiatry treatment in many medical and surgical disorders.

Dry Needling

Dry needling is different to acupuncture, but uses the same size needles. It specifically targets trigger points in muscles. These trigger points may be causing recurring muscle pain in a particular distribution.