Superficial Peroneal Nerve Injury by Acupuncture

Abstract

With an increase in the application of acupuncture, more complications will be encountered; physicians must be familiar with these complications. We report a case of neuroma formation in the superficial peroneal nerve territory after acupuncture. A 44-year-old woman, after acupuncture for low back pain felt numbness and pain on the lateral side of the dorsum of her left foot. Electrodiagnostically, the patient's symptom was related to superficial peroneal nerve injury. An acupuncturist must be aware of possible complications of needling specially near nerves. Manipulation of the needle may increase risk of nerve injury.

Keywords

• Acupuncture
• Peripheral nerve injuries
• Superficial peroneal nerve
• Peroneal neuropathies