This month, millions of Americans have watched the Winter Olympics. How do those athletes recover from injuries they suffer from racing down snow-packed slopes or falls on ice in the rink? Like many professional athletes, triatheletes, college or even weekend athletes, they may be using acupuncture, cupping or gua sha or Asian body therapy to speed their recovery. So how do these therapies help athletes?
Acupuncture and these other therapies:
- treat sports injuries
- help prevent injuries and enhance performance
- improve overall health
Treatment of injuries
The most common sports injuries are strains (the tearing of muscle fibers or tendons) and sprains (the stretching or tearing of ligaments). Swelling and pain are the normal responses to injuries.
Acupuncture, gua sha and cupping reduce swelling, relax muscle tension, and increase blood and lymph circulation to remove the by-products of injuries. Acupuncture also releases endorphins – the body’s natural pain-reducing chemicals.
Other common sports injuries are shin splints and plantar fasciitis. Acupuncture can reduce the pain and inflammation with these conditions. Gua sha increases blood circulation to relieve the swelling associated with shin splints. When used for plantar fasciitis, gua sha on the calf muscles and heels relaxes and releases the fascia (the covering of muscles and other connective tissues).
Some full tears of the tendons or ligaments may require surgery. Acupuncture can reduce pain in the acute stage of injury, and promotes healing in post-surgery recovery stage.
Trigger points (or ah shi points) are painful, knotty fibers in the muscles. Acupuncture, acupressure, gua sha, and cupping can relieve the pain and tension in these knotty muscles. These treatments relax and stretch those painful muscles and their connective tissues.
Red or purple discoloration may be part of the body’s response to an injury. In addition to acupuncture, the deep heat of moxibustion (the application of the heated mugwort herb) to the injured area increases blood circulation to speed the resolution of the bruising.
Prevention of injuries and performance enhancement
“Practice makes perfect,” but the repetitive stress of training takes its toll on joints and muscles. Acupuncture, gua sha and cupping prevent injuries by reducing muscle tension and balancing muscles. This corrects the overuse of some muscle groups due to pain in the opposing muscles. By balancing and removing tension in muscles, these therapies strengthen and increase the mobility of the joints.
As a holistic therapy, acupuncture works to balance all the systems in the body. It strengthens the immune system thereby preventing colds and flu, improves sleep, reduces stress, balances hormones and promotes general health to keep athletes in training and competition.
Medications (quinolones and statins) and sports injuries: a word of caution
Advertisements for medications on TV tell us that prescription drugs can have side effects which may include muscle injury or joint pain. For athletes, musculoskeletal injuries require time off from training, leading to decreased muscle condition, leading to … (well, you get the picture.)
The group of antibiotics called quinolones or fluoroquinolones are used to treat a variety of infections including urinary or digestive tract infections, prostatitis, pneumonia and skin infections. Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), and moxifloxacin (Avelox) are the names of some of these medications. Achilles (or other tendon) rupture, tendinitis, muscle pain, and arthritis (and other side effects) can occur with these antibiotics. The FDA has a special black box warning in its prescribing information for this side effect.
If you are in training for a competition and are prescribed these antibiotics, talk with your doctor as to whether another type of antibiotic can be substituted.
We also know from TV and print advertisements that statin medications that lower cholesterol can cause muscle pain and damage. They also increase the risk for dislocations, sprains/strains, tendinitis, and joint pain. A research study published in July 2013 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine (JAMA Internal Medicine) of active duty military, their families and veterans showed that statins were associated with increased musculoskeletal injuries in physically active individuals.
Guidelines for statin prescribing have recently changed. For athletes or those who are physically active, this may be a good time to “ask your doctor….” if you are taking a statin medication.
Improve your performance; improve your health
If you do incur a sports injury from medication use, acupuncture may help with the healing process. It is a safe treatment when given by a licensed acupuncturist. Acupuncture is a natural, non-medication treatment with fewer adverse side effects than that of drugs or other medical procedures.
Conventional treatment for sports injuries are P.R.I.C.E (Protect, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) treatment. Once these methods are used, see your acupuncturist for more help in healing your injuries.
Many professional sports teams use acupuncture along with conventional sports medicine therapy to treat injuries. Since acupuncture can also improve performance and give athletes a competitive edge, make it a part of your regular training program.