When your lower back and glutes start to ache from a hard weekend trail run, your instinct may be to add some stretching to your routine or schedule time with a massage therapist or chiropractor. I don’t know. If the pain is unbearable, you may want to consult a sports medicine doctor.
However, there is another accessible and effective treatment for pain. It has limited side effects and has been practiced for thousands of years.
It’s acupuncture treatment. Although the mechanism by which acupuncture works in the body is not fully understood and there may be a placebo effect, studies have repeatedly shown that acupuncture is effective in treating various forms of pain. I am. fasciaback, and osteoarthritis.
Here’s what you need to know about acupuncture’s potential role in treating sports injuries.
Acupuncture and sports medicine
acupuncture This is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice that involves inserting small, thin needles through the skin, often into the superficial layers of the muscles, to relieve pain and address health conditions such as menstrual cramps. Migraine,arthritis. The places where the needles are inserted are channels, each corresponding to a specific organ or system, along which energy, or Qi, is thought to travel. According to TCM, the needles help unclog meridians.
From a Western medical perspective, needles are thought to stimulate the body’s muscles, connective tissue, and central nervous system, helping to heal from illness and pain. “Essentially, what we’re doing with acupuncture is we’re tapping into the body’s own natural healing mechanisms,” he says. David MannDO is a primary care and sports medicine physician and board certified acupuncturist at Houston Methodist University.
Sports medicine acupuncturists specifically treat sports injuries using the same fundamentals as TCM, but also incorporate functional anatomy, muscle testing, and range of motion testing. “Using this approach, we can accurately identify complex injuries and their causes, especially when checking for postural issues during various movements,” explains the sports medicine acupuncturist. Kevin Menard.
Hilary Patzer The Minnesota Vikings physician and certified acupuncturist believes that combining TCM and sports medicine can truly help put the body on the path to healing. “The body wants harmony, balance, and functionality,” she says. “But sometimes you have to tell them what to do because the alignment is broken.”
Acupuncture is used to treat all types of sports injuries, including joint problems, muscle sprains and strains, muscle stiffness and trigger points, lower back pain, cervical and lumbar hernias, and many other conditions. “It’s very helpful because it effectively treats the whole body in one treatment,” Patzer said. “Those needles are like little magic wands.”
This broad approach means that when treating something like a quadriceps injury, the acupuncturist also assesses and potentially addresses other muscles surrounding that injury that may be injured or compensated. means. “If we don’t deal with the surroundings, [the injury]They’re going to continue to have quadriceps injuries that won’t heal as quickly as they would if they treated the upstream and downstream at the same time,” Patzer explains.
How acupuncture can help with sports injuries
Here’s how acupuncture can help treat sports injuries, according to experts.
1. Reduces pain
Acupuncture is often used to reduce various types It reduces pain and is increasingly recognized as a non-drug alternative to painkillers. One of the reasons for the analgesic effect of acupuncture is known to be: release endorphinsIt helps reduce pain and lift your mood. “Acupuncture directly addresses pain, a major concern in sports-related injuries, by promoting endorphin production,” Menard says.
2. Reduce inflammation
Acupuncturists commonly perform this procedure to reduce inflammation after an injury.Menard explains that acupuncture can improve symptoms. blood circulation It works on targeted muscles, fascia, tendons, and ligaments to reduce swelling and repair damaged tissue.
Recent study It was published in the magazine Nature They found that acupuncture can suppress inflammation by triggering an anti-inflammatory response through the involvement of a neural pathway between the vagus nerve and the adrenal glands called the vagus-adrenal axis.other the study Showing similar findings, acupuncture reduces or controls inflammation by stimulating various pathways that connect the nervous and immune systems. Both of these pathways are known to play a role in the body’s inflammatory response. It’s important to note that these studies were conducted on mice and may not necessarily accurately predict human responses.
another study found that acupuncture may reduce inflammation by stimulating the vagus nerve, which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system and plays a major role in the body’s stress response.
3. Correct muscle imbalances
Acupuncture can strengthen proprioception (meaning the sense of body position and movement) by addressing trigger points and knots in muscle tissue, Menard says. For athletes, proprioception is extremely important as it plays a role in balance, coordination of movement, and coordination of muscle activity. Decreased proprioception can lead to sports injuries. Probability is high can occur
“If these knots are not treated, they can interfere with the normal function of the muscles and their corresponding muscles, leading to imbalances and further complications,” Menard explains. “Acupuncture’s ability to identify and treat these pressure points provides immediate pain relief and helps athletes regain proper form and function.”
Patzer compares muscle function to sexy muscles. When your muscles are working properly, they open and close like springs, and that’s a good thing. However, if you pull it too long or lock it too tightly, it may not perform at its best. If left untreated, this can cause problems in nearby muscles, tendons, and joints. “Acupuncture can help muscles regain proper movement and function,” says Patzer.
Do all acupuncturists treat sports injuries?
While many acupuncturists may be able to treat sports-related injuries, if you are an athlete and are experiencing pain, it is best to see someone who specializes in or is certified in sports medicine acupuncture. For the best, Patzer says. If you have any X-ray or MRI results, please bring a copy to your appointment so we can discuss your treatment. “Accurate diagnosis of each condition is essential in order to tailor the most effective acupuncture treatment to a patient’s specific needs,” Menard says.
Keep in mind that acupuncture is not a cure-all for all sports injuries and is often most effective when used in conjunction with other types of treatments. Acupuncturists may also refer patients to other care facilities and professionals, such as hospitals, chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists. “We work together to ensure all patients receive the comprehensive care they need,” Menard says.
