Researchers at Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Plymouth, undertaking a systematic review of studies conducted on the effectiveness of acupuncture for heel pain, have concluded that acupuncture is as effective as conventional treatments such as stretching or steroid injections. They looked at five randomised controlled trials and three non-randomised comparative studies. There were significant benefits from acupuncture treatment, and the review authors conclude that acupuncture should be considered in the recommendations for management of plantar heel pain. Future research should acknowledge the complexity of both plantar heel pain and acupuncture as an intervention, and the relationship between the two.
(The Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Plantar Heel Pain: A Systematic Review. Acupuncture in Medicine, December 2012.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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