Case Study: acupuncture helps athlete climb Mt. Fuji

Acupuncture Helps Runner Climb Mountain

Thanks to To The Point PDX, this Portland runner was able to accomplish her goals.

A 37-year-old patient presented with dull, intermittent left knee pain (5/10 pain) located on the lateral side of the knee near the head of the fibula in addition to pain “under the kneecap” with no apparent acute or chronic injury. The patient reported the knee pain was worse after running, swimming and while working at her standing desk. Prior to the pain, the patient was very active; she was running 5-7 miles a day, swimming and hiking regularly. 

The patient could not determine a pattern for the knee pain; sometimes the pain would be sharp, or dull, sometimes it was worse in the evenings, sometimes in the morning, sometimes after a workout. The patient could not run, swim or hike because of the pain. 

Prior to coming to To The Point PDX, the patient was seen by her primary care doctor who referred to her an orthopedist. The orthopedist ordered imaging; results showed minor inflammation, but no signs of arthritis. The patient reported her official diagnosis: nothing was physically wrong with the knee.

The patient came to To The Point PDX --  a Portland acupuncture clinic -- with skepticism after trying another Portland acupuncturist with little results. At her first visit with Sarah Hammer Stevens, the patient was exasperated and frustrated --  she wanted to climb Mount Fuji in six months, but felt like her knee pain was keeping her from training. Additionally, the patient felt like no one was listening; she was certain she was experiencing pain, but no one could tell her what was wrong.

Upon physical examination, the right knee was slightly swollen. Appley’s compression test, Anterior drawer test and Posterior drawer test were negative. Upon physical examination of the posterior chain of the body, the patient’s  posterior superior iliac spine was uneven, signaling slight pelvic contortion. Active, latent, and satellite trigger points in the Quadratus lumborum, gluteal muscles and piriformis were found upon palpation. 

After three sessions of treating the trigger points on the posterior body and local points on the right knee in addition to the patient’s personalized Chinese Medicine diagnosis of spleen blood su and kidney yin xu, the patient reported a 60% decrease in pain. After six sessions, the patient reports 100% improvement and was able to reach her goals: to climb Fuji.