Are you an athlete training for a big event?
Or are you more like me, doing some workouts during the week and maybe have a pretty intense pickle ball match over the weekend?
No matter what your skill level or intensity, all athletes have dealt with soreness, fatigue or injuries impacting their ability to get out there and perform. Acupuncture, a thousands of years old practice, has the ability to help tap into the body’s ability to self-heal, keeping you doing what you love.
Here are 5 reasons you should consider adding in a course of acupuncture to help with Athletic Recovery
Quickly Recover From Injuries
Sprains, strains, muscle tightness or aching – acupuncture you can help your body recover fast. By decreasing inflammation and improving blood circulation, acupuncture treatments bring those injured tissues what they need to heal quickly. Whether it is a shoulder strain from too much pickle ball, back pain, leg muscle strains or joint sprains, adding in a few sessions can help. We also have other tools to incorporate too, from cupping to preparing a herbal muscle soak, we can pull from the large toolkit of Chinese medicine to help speed your healing.
Recover faster after a tough workout
We have all had that tough workout that makes you not want to get back to the gym because you hurt. What if I told you that getting a relaxing acupuncture session could help? Acupuncture has been shown to help muscles recover more quickly after a tough workout. A study that was done on elite basketball players showed many markers of recovery being influence by adding in acupuncture as a tool for post workout. Another study demonstrated that including acupuncture post workout showed a decrease in lactic acid buildup in the muscles and overall improvements in oxygenation, which helps with the aching and soreness common after pushing it a bit too hard.
Prevent Injury
Keeping your muscle flexible and strong goes a long way to helping prevent injuries. Because Acupuncture works on the body as a whole, a good treatment can address many different aspects of your physical and emotional health. You may be carrying muscle tension in other areas of your body that are affecting your athletic performance or even making you more prone to getting injured. Acupuncture relieves tension in the muscles you use over and over and improves your flexibility, making you less prone to injury.
Improve Performance
Did you know that acupuncture can help your muscles perform better? Research has shown that after acupuncture a significant improvement was found in muscle performance in athletes. Acupuncture and cupping can help improve circulation to muscles and tendons, helping improve oxygenation to the tissues and allowing them to respond more quickly when called upon.
Increased mental clarity and focus
We all know it to be true, your mood and energy level can influence how you physically perform, whether at the gym or at a big race. Depression, anxiety or lack of energy can all get in the way of a regular workout routine. Regular acupuncture treatment helps decrease anxiety and improve energy. A healthy mind is key to a healthy body. Keeping you feeling mentally on your game can definitely help you game
Top athletes incorporate acupuncture into their training and recovery, but this treatment isn’t reserved just for those elite performers. Whether you are preparing for the Twin Cities marathon or just want to have fun playing frisbee or riding bikes this weekend, we can help. And all of this without the side effects that can come from drugs.
It is important to get a few treatments in to help you get the biggest benefit, so make sure to get you’re a few treatments scheduled before any big upcoming events
Julie McCormick, L.Ac. (FABORM)
Bailey, Steve. (2012). The Effects of Acupuncture on Human Performance in Sports: A Systematic Review. 0-00.
Bailey and Liddington. Int J Sports Exerc Med 2021, 7:210
Volume 7 | Issue 6DOI: 10.23937/2469-5718/1510210
Huang C, Wang Z, Xu X, Hu S, Zhu R, Chen X. Does Acupuncture Benefit Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness After Strenuous Exercise? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Physiol. 2020 Jul 17;11:666. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00666. PMID: 32765287; PMCID: PMC7379881.
Hübscher M, Vogt L, Ziebart T, Banzer W. Immediate effects of acupuncture on strength performance: a randomized, controlled crossover trial. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010 Sep;110(2):353-8. doi: 10.1007/s00421-010-1510-y. Epub 2010 May 25. PMID: 20499248.
Liu JY, Liu LM. [Influence of electroacupuncture intervention on free radical metabolism in athletes undergoing intensive endurance exercise]. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. Feb 2013