Acupuncture is used in the treatment of injuries and musculoskeletal and constitutional imbalances, and is often effective for relieving muscle pain and spasm and improving circulation to tense or injured tissues. I commonly find acupuncture especially effective for tendon and ligament sprain/strains and chronic injuries which have been poorly responsive to other types of treatment.
According to basic Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) theory, health is viewed as a balance between opposing forces (e.g. yin and yang) in the body. Forces that disrupt this balance are seen to move the body away from health and toward disease and poor function.
Diet, acupuncture, and exercise are all seen as ways to balance these forces to promote health and in the case of athletes, to improve performance.
Members of the International Sports Acupuncture Association, studied a number of methods to help both weekend warriors and more competitive athletes improve their performance and prevent injuries. When I work with people to improve their sports performance, I typically use a three-pronged approach. The most important is what I think of as the Yin aspect, which uses TCM methods to support the body during training to build muscles, promote liver glycogen storage, and prepare the body for bursts of energy needed during performance. The Yang aspect is to stimulate output at the time of the performance.
Finally, the third prong of the approach is individualizing the treatment, taking into account relatively strong versus weaker systems, past history of injuries or recurrent injuries, and other important health issues, which could impact training and performance. With this approach, I am able to provide acupuncture to assist in both training and competitive activities.
