Acupuncture and Athletic Injuries

It’s hard for an athlete to be injured. They are used to pushing their bodies and suddenly they can no longer do so. Their bodies are used to movement and now the movements are limited, which can then relate to further problems with their healing.

Acupuncture can help. For those times when they are unable to move, acupuncture can help them keep their energy moving throughout their bodies. It can also help bring blood flow to the injured areas. Of ten athletic injuries involve tendons and ligaments. These areas are notoriously slow to heal because these areas are not vascular areas and so get little blood flow into them. Acupuncture, massage and moxibustion all help bring blood flow to these place. When the area is invigorated with more blood, the body’s natural healing capacity kicks in and the injury is healed more quickly.

Acupuncture can be started on an injured person very soon after the injury. The area doesn’t have to move. Points can be done on either side of a bandaged area if there is surgery and can help move energy through the area of surgery. Certainly topical and local points would need to wait. Acupuncture does not require that the patient move, so it can be started sooner than some physical therapy regimens. It is a great adjunct to other forms of healing when there is major damage.

For athletes with repetitious movement problems—sore muscles from doing the same movement over and over, acupuncture can reduce those painful areas as well. This should not be taken that an athlete should continue past the time that an injury requires that the body stop. Pain is a warning signal. However, acupuncture can help with the minor overuse strains and pains that most athletes are prone to during hard training

Studies include:

Wang L, Wang A and Zhang S (1985) Clniical analysis and experimental observation on acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of patellar tendon terminal disease in athletes, J Trad Chin Med 5:162-166.

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