Sports Injury Prevention
The best time to get acupuncture is BEFORE an injury occurs. Monthly or weekly maintenance at our sports acupuncture clinic can make all the difference in the world when it comes to sports injury prevention. Usually an injury doesn’t just “happen”, but has been slowly compensating for a muscle imbalance in the chain until the weakest link gets injured. The older athlete is especially susceptible as repair of tissue happens slower. With regular acupuncture treatments, athletes can maintain more consistent injury free training and performing time as well as maintaining a higher level in their performance.
What is Sports Injury Prevention?
Acupuncture addresses the natural degeneration of athletes over 30. “Spondylosis, degenerative changes within the spine normally occur primarily over the age of thirty“ (Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, March 2004). With a sports medicine approach, acupuncture can keep muscles in good condition and balanced properly, thereby increasing stamina and increasing overall quality of performance.
Common cumulative, over-use injuries that acupuncture can treat are:
- Tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow and elbow bursitis
- Shoulder tendinitis, bursitis, arthritis and impingement syndrome
- Wrist tendinitis
- Achilles tendinitis
- Hip bursitis
- Illiotibial band syndrome
- Knee arthritis
Muscle Balance
When muscles are imbalanced, they can trigger a chain reaction resulting in muscle, joint and tendon pain, says Matt Callison, L.Ac., a San Diego-based acupuncturist who trademarked Sports Medicine Acupuncture. To correct these imbalances, he inserts needles into motor points as well as specific acupuncture points to release tight segments of myofascial tissues—the membranes that surround and connect your muscles. “When you balance the muscles, you decrease the stress on irritated areas,” Callison says.
I received my Sports Medicine Certification with Matt Callison and utilize the motor points regularly in treatment with sometimes game changing results.
Stress Reduction
Acupuncture has long been used for stress and anxiety reduction as well. By stimulating the natural feel good endorphin hormones in the body, cortisol levels have been known to drop. There is evidence that suggests that acupuncture may also work by activating your body’s natural opioid system, which may also help to reduce pain or induce sleep (World Health Organization, Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, 2003) . A body stressed is more prone to injury and acupuncture’s ability to offload some of that stress makes for a sharper, more relaxed and “in the zone” athlete.
Acupuncture for sports injury prevention can support your muscles in remaining supple and nourished, keep cortisol stress hormone levels in check, help you sleep better, improve your immune system all of which decreases the potential for injury. Acupuncture improves your overall health which translates into more injury and illness free time in your chosen sport.
Get Sports Injury Prevention
AcuSportsTherapy is a top sports acupuncture Delray Beach clinic that helps people reach their highest potential for peak performance in life and sports. Holly Green, founder of AcuSportsTherapy, incorporates principles from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Sports Medicine to view the patient’s injury from a truly integrated perspective. Contact us to learn how we can help you recover faster, prevent recurring injury, perform at your highest level, and sleep better.