Acupucnture and Sports Injury
Acupuncture is increasingly used by top sports players and athletes to treat sports injuries. Many athletes (e.g. US triathlete Victor Plata-2004 Olympian, Canadian speedskater Kevin Overland, and Australian rugby league player Luke Ricketson) routinly use acupuncture to cure their problems.
Acupuncture has been shown to aid healing and resolution of injuries, including reducing pain, increasing local microcirculation and attracting white blood cells to the area, both of which speed the healing rate, and aid dispersal of swelling and bruising.
How Does Acupuncture Help?
Acupuncture is an effective treatment for Sports Injuries because it reduces pain, increases range of motion, increases recovery and healing time, and strengthens weakened parts of the body. These effects are accomplished during treatment because acupuncture:
• Decreases inflammation. • Reduces swelling. • Relaxes muscles and relieves spasms. • Decreases bruising. • Lowers the body’s pain response. • Improves local blood circulation to increase delivery of nutrients and removal of noxious elements.
Additional Information related to acupuncture and sports injury is listed below:
• One third of the sports injuries are serious enough to result in medical treatment or to affect normal day-to-day activities. • Many professional sports teams are offering acupuncture to their players both to treat an injury and to keep them performing at their peak. Many teams have dedicated acupuncturists on board, including the SF Giants baseball team, the British Rugby team, many Premiership football teams and the British Olympic team. • Athletes with shin splints were treated with either acupuncture alone, or acupuncture and sports medicine. • Tennis elbow sufferers treated with acupuncture had significant reductions in pain and improvements in arm function in comparison to those treated with sham acupuncture. • Research has found that office workers who suffer from chronic neck and shoulder pain felt the benefits for 3 years following a course of acupuncture treatment.
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