Reflexology treatment for Sciatic neuralgia

The pain caused by this condition is distributed along the sciatic nerve.
   
Differential diagnosis: Patients with cold and damp pathogens may suffer from heaviness of body, stiffness, soreness and pain of waist and leg, numbness of skin and muscles on lateral side of leg, preference for warmth and aversion to cold, white and greasy tongue coating, and deep pulse. Patients with blood stagnation may suffer from pricking pain and limitation of waist movement with history of trauma, aggravation of pain at night, dark purple tongue, and uneven pulse. And patients with vital energy deficiency may suffer repeated attacks of severe pain when fatigued but relieved after rest, weakness of waist and leg, sallow complexion, and deep and thready pulse. The symptoms of neuralgia sciatica caused by prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc, piriform muscle syndrome, diseases of iliosacral joint, arthritis of hip joint, adnexitis, spondylitis, intraspinal tumor and muscular sprain of waist recognized by modem medicine may be treated by the following methods.
   
Treatment:
Foot massage: The massage is applied to sciatic nerve (58), lumbar spine (55), sacrum (56), knee (35), kidney (22) and spleen (34) reflecting areas (Fig. 62).

Foot acupuncture:
1) Meridianal acupoints: At Kunlun (BL60), Pucan (BL61), Shenmai (BL62), Jinmen (BL63) and Shugu (BL65) acupoints, a reducing technique is applied to patients with cold and damp pathogens or blood stagnation, and a reinforcing technique is applied to patients with vital energy deficiency. The needles are retained for 20 minutes and moxibustion after acupuncture is applied to patients with cold and damp pathogens or vital energy deficiency.

2) Foot acupoints: At Buttocks (FA-L 1), Waist and leg (FA-D 9), Ischium 1 (FA-P 18) and Ischium 2 (FA-D 5) acupoints a moderate twisting stimulation is applied and the needles are retained for 15 minutes.