Here are a few interesting actual cases from this year:
Joel – Bilateral Chronic Achilles Tendonitis
Joel had bilateral chronic Achilles tendonitis, flexible flat feet and a challenging trek along the Appalachian Trail booked in about 8 weeks. After some vital information gathering including muscle testing, joint range of motion studies and gait analysis, we took neutral position suspension casts and fitted Joel with customized functional orthoses. We prescribed him with a self-administering program of physical therapy, including specific stretches, and provided information regarding hiking and the prevention of injuries (e.g. blisters). We gave him advice regarding socks and boot/shoe style and flare (there are quite a few common pitfalls here). He actually went through 3 pairs of boots! Joel finished the trek with minimal discomfort. It was great to hear that he got on so well.
Geraldine – Multiple Mosaic Verrucae
Nurse Geraldine presented with a long history of multiple mosaic verrucae (warts) on both feet that had resisted all treatment. She also suffers with sweaty feet which complicated the picture. We gave her some advice about her footwear and socks and commenced two weekly sessions of acupuncture followed by two sessions, 8 weeks apart, of needling into the initial lesion with a hypodermic needle under local analgesia in order to stimulate a localized immune response. At that time, although the lesions had changed appearance, they had not cleared and we planned no further treatment. About 3 months from her final treatment, we received an email from Geraldine saying that all the warts had finally cleared!
Mosaic verrucae are difficult to treat and usually won’t respond to liquid nitrogen from the GP and are usually not suitable for treatment using products (pastes and ointments) such as “wart kill”. It’s very pleasing to be able to offer a suitable effective treatment for a condition that resists treatment and can persist for a long period of time.