Acupuncture in Sports Medicine- An Overview

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that involves inserting very fine needles into particular locations on the body to cure a wide range of ailments.

What Is Sports Acupuncture?

A reduction or elimination of inflammation can be achieved through sports acupuncture by stimulating blood flow microcirculation through meridians such as arteries, tendons, muscles, and organs. Pain acupuncture would help alleviate pain and inflammation by stimulating the pathway that has been blocked by inflammation due to overuse. This would also help to restore balance in the body. As the meridians are related to one another, the energy flow is disturbed when one of them becomes blocked. This results in discomfort and stress, both of which eventually have an impact on performance.

What Are the Different Kinds of Acupuncture Treatments?

• Clinical Application of Trigger Point Treatment: It is a technique that involves applying pressure to certain areas of the body to alleviate discomfort and relax the muscles.

• Cupping: It includes applying suction with cups to some regions of the body to facilitate the body's natural healing processes.

• Moxibustion: It includes burning herbs directly on the skin to activate the body's natural healing mechanism and provide relief.

• The Use of Infrared Heat as a Therapeutic Modality: The infrared light from the treatment is applied directly to the patient's skin to boost the body's natural healing process.

• The Electroacupuncture: Technique entails applying electrical stimulation from a tens machine to particular acupoints located over an affected area.

Which All Conditions of the Common Sports Are Treated by Acupuncture?

The following are some of the most frequent sports injuries and conditions that conventional acupuncture can treat:

• Chronic Lower Back Pain: Pain in the lower back that lasts more than three months and is not due to an acute incident or an acute symptom of a chronic ailment like arthritis.

• Chronic Shoulder Pain: Shoulder discomfort not attributable to an injury or inflammation is known as chronic shoulder pain.

• Fracture: A bone break that was induced by a stressful experience or an acute injury.

• Frozen Shoulder: Shoulder discomfort and stiffness are symptoms of a frozen shoulder caused by inflammation of the shoulder joint.

• Tennis Elbow: Overextending the muscles in the forearm can lead to tennis elbow, characterized by pain and soreness on the outer aspect of the elbow.

• Knee Pain: Knee pain refers to the discomfort felt in the knee, typically due to an injury or inflammation.

• Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: Pain radiating from the front of the knee produced by an imbalance in the muscles and tendons surrounding the knee cap is referred to as patellofemoral pain syndrome.

• Plantar Fasciitis: Plantar fasciitis is characterized by discomfort and swelling in the heel caused by a tear in the plantar fascia.

• Sciatica: Sciatica symptoms include pain in the lower back, hip, and leg. A pinched nerve brings on this discomfort.

• Shin Splints: Shin splints are an inflammation of the lower leg muscle caused by overusing the tendon. Extremely prevalent among younger athletes because of the more physically active they tend to lead.

• Tendonitis: Tendonitis is characterized by inflammation, swelling, and stiffness in the tendon, and either excess or repeated action causes it.

• Torn Ligaments: Pain and swelling are symptoms of torn cartilage, which come from the overstretching or ripping of the ligament due to excessive stress.

• Sports Musculoskeletal Pain: Musculoskeletal pain in athletics is discomfort that occurs in the muscles and joints as a result of either overuse or injury.

How Does Acupuncture Aid in Sports Medicine?

Athletes have been known to use acupuncture as a supplemental treatment to help them treat injuries, manage pain, and recover from workouts faster. Aside from treating injuries, acupuncture is also used to address diseases not associated with athletic engagement, such as headaches caused by migraines and irregular menstrual cycles. Based on the findings of complementary and alternative medical therapies, acupuncture has been shown to be the most popular form of complementary therapy.

What Are the Treatment Benefits of Acupuncture in Sports?

In comparison to other forms of treatment, acupuncture is the most effective method for treating sports injuries. As acupuncture is an old kind of physiotherapy used in China, it effectively reduces inflammation and discomfort.

• Rapid Recovery: The acupuncture trigger points that are stimulated during treatment could cause the release of a chemical from the medulla spinalis, as well as the muscles and the brain, that could naturally alleviate pain. Together with other benefits, like improved motor skills, it helps the body to recover from injury or illness more quickly.

• Chemical Release: In a similar vein, acupuncture causes the release of a substance that is analgesic or pain-alleviating. The opioid-like substance that is created in the body is released. They naturally occur within the body and have qualities that are equivalent to pain medications that contain opioids.

• Release Neurotransmitters: They are hormones that transmit messages to various nerve endings to regulate their mechanism. Several users report that acupuncture relieves discomfort after receiving treatment.

• Triggers Electromagnetic Impulse: These impulses can assist the body in healing faster by reducing the amount of pain it is experiencing, which also causes endorphins to be released.

What Is the Mechanism of Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a time-honored treatment that gives credence to energetic channels running throughout the body. The therapy entails penetrating the skin with needles and inserting them at various pressure points throughout the body.

• When treating patients, an experienced acupuncturist will focus on specific energy centers. They are also referred to as meridians, and some might be of special assistance to nerves and muscles in the back that are in discomfort.

• While treating athletes with acupuncture, a practitioner may choose to specialize in one or more of several specific energy meridians.

• Acupuncture needles are typically inserted at the site of the damage, whether it be in the muscle or the tissue, as well as in the surrounding area, at the site of the trauma, as well as the level of the brain and spinal cord.

• When these locations are activated, a portion of the systema nervosum is also excited, which reduces or eliminates pain. Acupuncture effectively relieves pain associated with various neuromuscular disorders.

What Are the Various Benefits of the Treatment for the Athlete?

• Increased Range of Motion: Athletes can benefit from acupuncture by releasing muscle tension, tendons, and ligaments overworked during competition or practice. This enables them to compete at their highest level without increasing their risk of subsequent injury.

• Improve Blood Flow: The treatment improves blood circulation to areas of the body that may be hypoxic due to inadequate blood flow. Following strenuous physical activity speeds up the recuperation process for the muscles.

• Reduce Fatigue: Athletes can benefit from regular acupuncture treatments for sports to avoid burnout and keep their performance levels at their best throughout practice and competition.

• Enhance Mental Clarity: Athletes can maintain their concentration and drive during their workouts and contests because of the endorphins released as a result of sports acupuncture. Endorphins not only lessen the pain sensation but also induce a general feeling of peace and relaxation.

• Relieve Muscle Tension: Treatment with acupuncture can assist in relaxing stiff muscles generated by repetitive use and strain tension, including nervousness, before a competition. It would help the athlete remain flexible and powerful while competing.

• Stimulate Nerve Activity: Acupuncturists specializing in sports can stimulate nerve activity by targeting specific acupoints near nerves. This can result in faster reflexes and enhanced coordination, essential for achieving an individual's athletic potential.

• Increase Flexibility: By releasing adhesions within connective tissue, acupuncture helps to enhance flexibility in joints, allowing for more movement.

Athletes often turn to acupuncture to relieve painful symptoms and improve their overall energy flow since it helps them achieve a state of physiological balance. Athletes can benefit psychologically and physically from receiving acupuncture for sports because it is a non-invasive, all-natural treatment that does not use needles.

Conclusion

Acupuncture is a medical practice that is minimally invasive and is considered to be reasonably safe. It has complicated effects on the central and peripheral nerve systems, immune systems, and a person's sense of pain. Although acupuncture should not replace the function that traditional therapies such as rehabilitation play in treating these disorders, it is a beneficial complement in treating pain, which can restrict muscle function and interfere with both rehabilitation and sports performance. It can be helpful in the treatment of chronic conditions that do not respond to conventional therapy.