Does Holistic Podiatry Actually Work?

Yes—when delivered by a skilled practitioner, holistic podiatry can help patients resolve stubborn pain, heal faster from injury, and regain mobility without relying on surgery or long-term medications. It works by combining root-cause diagnostics with regenerative therapies as well as  movement re-education to restore function

Key Points

• Addresses Root Causes: Holistic podiatry doesn’t just treat symptoms—it identifies underlying issues like inflammation, scar tissue, poor circulation, or gait dysfunction.
• Effective for Chronic or Complex Cases: Especially helpful for those who haven’t found relief from surgery, physical therapy, cortisone shots, or orthotics alone.
• Activates the Body’s Healing Systems: Regenerative injections, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, IV nutrition, and functional rehab work together to accelerate recovery.
• Improves Whole-Body Alignment: By correcting foot and ankle imbalances, patients often experience relief in their knees, hips, and back as well.

In Simple Terms

Holistic podiatry doesn’t just look at where it hurts—it asks why it hurts in the first place.

Instead of stopping at short-term relief with medications, braces, or injections, this approach digs deeper. It considers how inflammation, poor circulation, nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress, past injuries, and lifestyle habits may all be contributing to your foot or ankle issues and why these issues aren’t healing.

Using a combination of advanced diagnostics, regenerative therapies, movement retraining, and lifestyle interventions, holistic podiatry aims to support long-term healing and prevent future breakdowns—so you can stay active, strong, and pain-free.

What the Research and Real-World Results Show

What Our Patients Say

Patients often come to holistic podiatry after trying everything else—multiple rounds of physical therapy, injections, pain relievers, and even surgery—without lasting results.

Many report:

• Rapid pain relief without medications
• Significant improvement in strength, balance, and mobility
• Faster recovery timelines after injury or surgery
• Fewer relapses and more confidence in daily movement
• Whole-body improvements—not just the foot

“I broke my right ankle many years ago and had surgery with multiple screws and a plate.  My ankle pain became worse over the years, and I developed arthritis. When I saw another doctor about this condition, he said I need the ankle fused. As a fleet manager at a car dealership, I  have to walk around the parking structure for 9 to 10 miles per day.  My ankle would swell and become extremely painful every day.

I came to Dr. Kim for my diabetic foot condition with an ulcer on my toe. As he started to treat my diabetic foot condition, he told me he could help me with the arthritic ankle joint. He advised that I change my diet and improve my overall health first.  Then he gave me two homeopathic injections with Ozone and one PRP (Blood spinning injection) with Ozone.  

After the injections, my ankle pain is completely gone, and now I can walk the parking structure with no pain. This is unbelievable because I thought I had to have surgery, and if I don’t have surgery, I have to live with this pain for the rest of my life. It took some time to get completely better, but I am so happy that I went through the treatments.”

-J. Quincy

When It Works Best

Holistic podiatry is most effective when:

• You’re motivated to heal and open to a whole-body approach
• You want to avoid surgery or medications if possible
• You’re dealing with long-standing or recurring issues
• You haven’t gotten results with conventional care alone
• You value a proactive approach to healing, not just masking pain

How We Do It at Kim Foot & Ankle Centers

Dr. Don Kim uses a unique blend of regenerative medicine, integrative diagnostics, and functional movement therapies to help patients:

• Heal from injuries like ankle sprains, plantar fasciitis, and tendon damage
• Recover from post-surgical complications or chronic joint degeneration.
• Heal from chronic nerve pain such as neuromas.

Every patient begins with a personalized diagnostic assessment, followed by a tailored 3-month program designed to jumpstart healing from the inside out—without surgery, cortisone, or opioids.

When To Seek Care Urgently

Call emergency services for sudden weakness or numbness, severe headache, vision loss, trouble speaking, chest pain, or other red-flag symptoms—these could indicate stroke or another emergency.

Sources (Authoritative Overviews)

Henning PR, Grear BJ. Platelet-rich plasma in the foot and ankle. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2018 Dec;11(4):616-623. doi: 10.1007/s12178-018-9522-z. PMID: 30259330; PMCID: PMC6220005.

Jiménez-Pérez AE, Gonzalez-Arabio D, Diaz AS, Maderuelo JA, Ramos-Pascua LR. Clinical and imaging effects of corticosteroids and platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis: A comparative non randomized prospective study. Foot Ankle Surg. 2019 Jun;25(3):354-360. doi: 10.1016/j.fas.2018.01.005. Epub 2018 Feb 9. PMID: 30321976.

Rabago D, Patterson JJ, Mundt M, Kijowski R, Grettie J, Segal NA, Zgierska A. Dextrose prolotherapy for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Fam Med. 2013 May-Jun;11(3):229-37. doi: 10.1370/afm.1504. Erratum in: Ann Fam Med. 2013 Sep-Oct;11(5):480. PMID: 23690322; PMCID: PMC3659139.

Chung MW, Hsu CY, Chung WK, Lin YN. Effects of dextrose prolotherapy on tendinopathy, fasciopathy, and ligament injuries, fact or myth?: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Nov 13;99(46):e23201. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000023201. PMID: 33181700; PMCID: PMC7668443.

Yildiz KM, Guler H, Ogut H, Yildizgoren MT, Turhanoglu AD. A comparison between hypertonic dextrose prolotherapy and conventional physiotherapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Med Int (Lond). 2023 Aug 29;3(5):45. doi: 10.3892/mi.2023.105. PMID: 37745156; PMCID: PMC10514571.

Capotosto S, Nazemi AK, Komatsu DE, Penna J. Prolotherapy in the Treatment of Sports-Related Tendinopathies: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Orthop J Sports Med. 2024 Nov 4;12(11):23259671241275087. doi: 10.1177/23259671241275087. PMID: 39502373; PMCID: PMC11536850.

Next Steps

Wondering if holistic podiatry could work for your condition?
Book your initial consultation with Dr. Kim and explore whether our regenerative, whole-body approach can help you heal where others haven’t.

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Don Kim, DPM