Benefit of Acupuncture for Athletes
The athletic body requires perfection in muscular skeletal system for proper development, motion, posture, and adaptability. The whole body must be in balance to allow for movement without pain or injury.
Over time due to repetitive motions, over-use, injury, or changes to balance in the muscular skeletal system imbalances occur. Imbalances in athletes are often seen as muscles stuck short, creating the opposing or antagonistic muscles to be stuck long (or vice-versa).
Muscle length impacts, the structure, as well as function of the body. Impaired lengths could make muscles too weak, too tight, or require recruitment of other muscles to take over, which all in time leads to postural imbalances.
When there is a lack of balance to the muscular skeletal system there is an increase risk of injury, poor posture, and improper kinesthetics/movements.
Most athletes have muscular and postural imbalances due to repetitive motions, over-use or injury. This may be seen as one side (left or right) being stronger than the other, certain muscles being prone to cramp or tear, pain with movement, lack of range of motion or weak muscle recruitment.
Acupuncture helps the athlete to:
1) Reduce myofibral adhesion
2) Reduce pain
3) Increase range of motion
4) Promote healthy posture
5) Heal injuries and promote tissue growth
6) Mentally recover from exercise and stress
What can you expect in an office visit?
Each body will respond to injury in a different way, acupuncturists are trained to treat each case on an individual basis, rather than prescribe the same treatments for like situations. This allows each patient to receive a customized treatment plan that works with the imbalances of their body specifically.
How acupuncture works?
Muscles are highly electrically excitable, when using an electrically conductive material such as an acupuncture needle the body is able to be influenced and changed through acupuncture. Chinese Medicine is a 3,000 year old medicine that maps out the flow of energy through the body, allowing for points to be used and direct circulation towards or away from an area to heal.
Acupuncturists work to decrease pain, address root causes of organ and tissue imbalances, promote circulation and response to injury, decrease inflammation, and prevent future injury. Not just select areas of tension and needle it like some professions use needling for.
At South Metro Acupuncture you will get dietary and lifestyle advise to supplement your treatment and further balance and nourish your body.
Manual muscle testing, orthopedic evaluation, postural assessments, stretching, soft tissue and joint mobilization are all done with acupuncture as part of the program to treat athletes.
Your treatments will consist of acupuncture as well as other modalities that increase circulation such as cupping, gua-sha (scraping), tui-na (massage), auricular therapy, and herbal medicine.
To continue to correct the imbalances in the body: exercises, stretches and certain mobility techniques are often prescribed for at-home maintenance.
The most effective way to prevent injury is to come in for appointments when you are feeling good, and correct the small imbalances in muscles, bones and organs before they lead to injury. Chinese Medicine offers incredible herbal medicine for injuries, the sooner you seek treatment, the quicker healing begins, and shorter the road to recovery is.
Book online today to see what Chinese Medicine can do for your athletic talents!
What are some cases South Metro Acupncture has treated recently:
- Mortons Neuroma, Disc herniation, Low back pain, Shoulders not the same height, Post-surgery knee recovery, IT band syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis, Motor vehicle accidents, Neck pain, SI joint pain, Hips not even, Calf cramps, Occipital headaches, Bodybuilding, Surgery prevention, Whole body pain, ACL tear, Hamstring and groin strains, Tennis elbow, Hip pain, Post-Surgery recovery... AND THAT'S JUST A FEW SUCCESS CASES!!
720-299-5919 Colorado: Englewood (DTC) and Fort Collins