Chinese Medicine is usually not first in line for the treatment of problems such as foot pain, but authors from the Departments of Podiatry and Pediatrics at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Richmond, California suggest otherwise.

A treatment known as acupuncture is commonly associated with Chinese Medicine and involves inserting needles into specific parts of the body to relieve pain.

A study involving 67 patients with foot pain that was not healed by traditional medicine or traditional treatments such as exercise showed that acupuncture provided total relief of pain in 31 cases and significant pain relief in 19 cases.

Not only is acupuncture now being accepted as a serious treatment but it is also suggested that acupuncture should take place before surgery for foot pain since it can eliminate the need for surgery.

Acupuncture is virtually painless and carries little risk when performed by a licensed acupuncturist. Now that acupuncture is starting to be considered a serious treatment by the medical community it can offer hope for those that have suffered with untreatable foot pain. For those expected to need surgery to cure foot pain, there is finally an accepted alternative that studies show may provide significant relief.