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A Case Report of Ultrasound-guided Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture on Plantar Fasciitis

Article information

J Korean Med. 2023;44(1):108-116
Publication date (electronic) : 2023 March 1
doi : https://doi.org/10.13048/jkm.23010
Seung-Yun Oh1orcid_icon, Ji-Yoon Yeum1orcid_icon, Soo-Jung Park1,orcid_icon
1Dept. of Sasang Constitutional Medicine, Woosuk University Korean Medicine Hospital
Correspondence to: Soo-Jung Park, Dept. of Sasang Constitutional Medicine, Woosuk University Korean Medicine Hospital, 46 Eoeun-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea 54987, Tel: +82-63-220-8676, Fax: +82-63-291-9312, E-mail: taorgi@hanmail.net
Received 2023 January 16; Revised 2023 February 8; Accepted 2023 February 14.

Abstract

Objectives

This study is to report the usefulness of ultrasound in diagnosing plantar fasciitis and the effectiveness of ultrasound-guided bee venom pharmacopuncture as a treatment of it.

Methods

A 61-year-old woman suffered from plantar fasciitis on her right foot for 1 month. The sonographic findings were fascial thickening, blurring of perifascial border and perifascial effusion. The ultrasound-guided bee venom pharmacopuncture for 6 times and conventional Korean medicine therapies like acupuncture and moxibustion for 12 times in 5 weeks. Numeric rating scale (NRS) and foot function index(FFI) was used to evaluate the pain and its progress. and thickness of plantar fascia was measured by sonography every week.

Results

After treatments, NRS and FFI were reduced from 10 to 1 and from 190 to 72. The thickness of fascia was reduced from 0.43cm to 0.40. Blurring and effusion of perifascial border were also improved.

Conclusion

This report suggests that the Ultrasound-guided Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture is effective for Plantar Fasciitis. Ultrasonography could be one of the most valuable items in the clinical practice of Korean medicine doctors who seek minimally invasive treatment.

Keywords: Plantar Fasciitis; Bee Venom; Pharmacopuncture; Ultrasonography
Fig. 1

(A) Ultrasound scanning posture and transducer position of the plantar fascia. (B) Ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture. The direction of needle insertion(Example).

Fig. 1

A 61-year-old woman with plantar fasciitis on her right foot.

(A) Long-axis ultrasound image of the plantar fascia on the normal left calcaneus. Its thickness was 0.31cm. (B) Sonographic findings of plantar fasciitis on right calcaneus before treatment. It shows fascial thickening of 0.43cm, hypoechogenicity, blurring of perifascial border, and perifascial effusion(arrows). (C) Ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncturetherapy. The needle(arrowheads) was inserted obliquely from anterior to posterior to reach the outer border of the fascia and sweet bee venom was injected. (D) After treatments of about 1 month, fascial thickening was reduced to 0.40cm and perifascial effusions were improved.

Timeline of Ultrasound-guided Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture and Korean medicine treatment with Changings in Pain and Symptom Evaluation Indicators of Plantar Fasciitis

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Article information Continued

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

(A) Ultrasound scanning posture and transducer position of the plantar fascia. (B) Ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncture. The direction of needle insertion(Example).

Fig. 1

Fig. 1

A 61-year-old woman with plantar fasciitis on her right foot.

(A) Long-axis ultrasound image of the plantar fascia on the normal left calcaneus. Its thickness was 0.31cm. (B) Sonographic findings of plantar fasciitis on right calcaneus before treatment. It shows fascial thickening of 0.43cm, hypoechogenicity, blurring of perifascial border, and perifascial effusion(arrows). (C) Ultrasound-guided pharmacopuncturetherapy. The needle(arrowheads) was inserted obliquely from anterior to posterior to reach the outer border of the fascia and sweet bee venom was injected. (D) After treatments of about 1 month, fascial thickening was reduced to 0.40cm and perifascial effusions were improved.

Table 1

Timeline of Ultrasound-guided Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture and Korean medicine treatment with Changings in Pain and Symptom Evaluation Indicators of Plantar Fasciitis

Date 11/3 11/5 11/8 11/11 11/15 11/18 11/22 11/25 11/29 12/2 12/6 12/9
SBV 1%
1.0ml		 1%
1.0ml		 1%
0.8ml		 1%
0.5ml		 1%
0.5ml		 10%
0.8ml
Atx+EA/Mtx O O O O O O O O O O O O
Btx O O O
NRS 10 10 10 10 9 6 5 4 4 3 2 1
FFI 190 72
Thickness of plantar fascia(cm) 0.43 0.34 0.37 0.40 0.40

SBV; Sweet bee venom pharmacopuncture, Atx+EA; Electroacupuncture, Mtx; Moxibustion treatment, Btx; Bloodletting treatment, NRS; Numeric rating scale, FFI; Foot Function Index