Acupuncture & Sports Medicine

Athletes today are looking toward complementary medicine to enhance athletic performance and achieve optimal health. Nutritional supplementation, therapeutic massage, and meditation have gained widespread acknowledgement and practice throughout the United States as adjuncts to the more traditional methods of athletic training. A complete and well-rounded “work out” should include not only strength training, stretching, and cardiovascular exercise but also ‘holistic’ methods for prevention and treatment of injuries.
The ancient technique of Acupuncture has long been known and used to facilitate many of these aspects of athletic training. Even though this modality has been acknowledged in sports medicine as early as the 1980’s, it has only recently come into public awareness.
In fact, acupuncture has been added to the sports medicine list of techniques to keep professional athletes fit for the field. John “Jumbo” Elliot, offensive lineman for the New York Jets is one such athlete. He has been receiving acupuncture treatments to not only relieve muscular tension and soreness, but also to keep him healthy enough to play professional football for 12 seasons. David Price, who is head trainer for the Jets, claims that other Jets have found acupuncture to be helpful in relieving their pain as well. In the professional hockey arena, Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins flew home between playoff games last spring to receive acupuncture for a debilitating groin injury. His acupuncturist claimed he was pain free and able to return to the ice after just three sessions.
Acupuncture is an effective aid to athletic training for many reasons. Historically, it was practiced “hand in hand” with the Chinese martial arts. There is an entire branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine called “hit medicine” which includes valuable information for the prevention and treatment of athletic injuries. One such remedy is “dit da jiao”, a liniment used topically to promote blood circulation in the healing of bruises.
Traditionally, acupuncture is believed to work by opening up the flow of vital energy within meridians (energy pathways) which are associated with various organ systems. In fact, the meridians are named accordingly i.e. lung meridian, liver meridian, and stomach meridian. Energy is the master of blood; as energy flow is increased within the meridian pathways so too is blood. This combination of increased vital energy and enhanced blood flow is believed to speed the body’s natural healing process, amplify energy reserves, and maximize overall health. In turn, these physical benefits promote athletic endurance, flexibility, strength and cardiovascular fitness.
Furthermore, acupuncture treatments enhance an athlete’s ability to recover from heavy workouts and avoid breakdown or injury. Many of the 365 main acupuncture points are specifically indicated for the treatment of pain or injury to specific areas of the body. For example, there are traditional acupuncture point combinations to alleviate symptoms associated with ankle sprains; knee pain, tennis elbow, rotator cuff problems, tendonitis, hamstring pulls, repetitive strain syndrome, shin splints, foot pain, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, and acute and chronic neck and back pain. Many of these areas mentioned will certainly receive “wear and tear” during heavy workout periods. And, of course, acupuncture would be used to treat these problems only after being diagnosed and under the care of a licensed physician.
Acupuncture is also helpful to strengthen will power as well as focus which provides that extra impetus to help an athlete stick to their workout schedule. It also promotes restful sleep, which is an essential component for giving the body the necessary time to replenish from athletic training.
Receiving an acupuncture treatment is something to look forward to at the end of a workout week. It is an excellent form of “body maintenance.” Just as people do regular “tune-ups” on their cars - they must do the same for their bodies. A workout includes not only the physical training for a sport but also building and rebuilding of the body.
Remember, taking care of our bodies includes the holistic/complementary as well as the traditional aspects of sports medicine. This total approach gives the athlete an ability to create a fitness program which stimulates optimal performance through the wisdom of both eastern and western sports medicine. A typical athletic protocol should include proper rest, essential sleep, nutritional supplementation, herbs, balanced diet, meditation, stretching, weight training, cardio-vascular training, massage, ultrasound, heat/ice treatments, and acupuncture to avoid and treat injuries, prevent premature body breakdown, achieve desired athletic goals, and reach new health horizons.