The Taiwan Report

Lower limb problems

35. Ache and tenderness over right lateral ankle following a fall (ballet dancer) 8 months previously. Needled: right SI06 plus left GB34. 20 min. Slight improvement reported (+).

36. Weakness in both legs for 13 years following cystectomy. "Loin and Leg", BL40,GB34, LU07 needled bilaterally. Response (?).

37. Ache in anterior aspect both thighs for one week. AhShi points in muscles of medial and anterior thigh. Needles in AhShi points for 20 min. Marked improvement in pain (+++).

38. Pain in and under left heel for 10 years. Earlier X-ray (some years previously) showed soft tissue calcification behind ankle joint. AhShi located above BL57. Needling sent sensation to gastrocnemius tendon area. Slight improvement in pain after 10 min. (+).

39. Pain in sole of the foot: Duration not recorded. Needled ipsilateral GB34, BL57. Response (?).

40. Pain, spasm in both knees in 74 year old woman. Duration > one month. Also tightness in right gluteal muscles. Needles were placed in LI11 to relax knee muscles. The response was immediate and dramatic (knee movement improved markedly). ThenGB34, SP09 (bilateral) added. Marked improvement in movement and pain in 20 min. (+++, immediate).

41. "Cold knees": For some months patient had cold sensations in both knees and used knee warmers in an attempt to "warm" them. Needles in GB31 and ST36 (bilateral) for 20 min. Patient reported "warm sensations" in knees during needling (+).

42. Multiple joint pain in lower limbs, worst in knees, with some lumbar pain. Needles in the hand point "Sciatic area" (between distal heads of metacarpals 3 and 4 on dorsum of hand) plus GB34, SP09, SI06 (all bilateral). Response (?).

43. Pain and swelling in knee and ankle (left), intermittently over 6 months. AhShifound near left SP10. Strong needling of AhShi for one minute gave marked relief of pain. A second AhShi found 2.5 inches below and behind left GB34, bilateral. Needled 1 min. Patient could hardly believe the result! (+++, immediate).

44. Left knee pain (no details). Needles GB34, SP09 (left). Twenty minutes. Good relief of pain (++).

Post CVA cases: Note: If there is sensory paralysis, there is little value in needling that side. In such cases, the "good" side would be used plus the Motor points on the scalp.

45. Right facial paralysis, slurred speech and poor control of tongue in elderly woman. Minor stroke 3 months before. GV15 was needled 2" deep. Within one minute, she had marked improvement in speech and tongue control! CV23 was then added, plus LI04,HT07, GB34 (bilateral). All needles were left in situ. After 10 minutes, patient went pale, developed cold sweat on face/forehead, yawned a lot and complained of severe headache behind right eye. On attempting to get up, she nearly collapsed. She had to be helped to lie down. She felt very tired and weak. (When I saw her one hour later, she was still complaining of leg weakness and a headache) (+++ immediate).

46. Right hemiparesis arm-leg after stroke (hospitalised in CMC). Simple needling on right LI04,11, TH05, GB34, SP06, plus left LI04, GB34. No improvement noted (0).

47. Hemiplegia (left side) (CMC hospital): left LI04, TH05, BL40, GB34, GB20,21, GV16. No improvement noted (0).