Top 5 Runner & Hiker Ailments Acupuncture Can Help Relieve In 5 Treatments Or Less

While you might not love these ailments, acupuncture loves them! Below are common running/hiking/sports injuries that are often greatly helped by acupuncture. Not only do they respond to acupuncture, but they tend to respond quickly.

Plantar Fasciitis

This bottom of the foot pain can feel like very sore arches. Sometimes it is seen with heel spurs too. Stretching and other homework is key here (check out this post), but acupuncture can really loosen up the fascia to bring quick relief.

Heel Spurs

This does well with acupuncture but herbs are also important, perhaps more so here. Expect about 3 months of herbs to see results, though I have had some people see it sooner. Western medicine really doesn't have much to offer for this so it's definitely worth a try to seek acupuncture and herbs.

IT Band

This mostly manifests at the knee and people will present with knee pain, however if it's on the outside of the knee, it's possible its the IT Band fascia that runs up the outside of the thigh into the glutes. Foam rolling can help, and acupuncture is fantastic with this. 

Sciatica

The sciatic nerve is a fat, long nerve that passes through the glutes and descends down the MIDDLE of the back of your leg. Usually, it's one or two muscles in the glutes that are tight and clamping down on the nerve causing pain. Pain is often in the glutes, and might travel down the leg.

Ankle Sprains

Sometimes the worse the sprain, the better it responds to acupuncture! Bring your swollen, stiff, gnarly, painful sprain for some acupuncture and more often than not, one treatment will help it feel a world better and speed up recovery.*important variables are age, how long you've had the ailment, and how good you are about home care.