Can Acupuncture Help Athletes?

All athletes, whether professional or amateur, highly competitive or just recreational, can benefit from utilizing acupuncture as part of their training regime. If you want that competitive edge without the need to resort to banned P.E.D.’s, then acupuncture is something that is worth investigating.

We have a bio-electrical force or energy known as Qi (chi) that integrates with the body and mind like an auxiliary nervous system. By adjusting the flow and balance of energy in this system, through the insertion of very thin, steel needles into key points along the energy pathways, the body can be brought back into homeostasis or equilibrium.

There are three primary ways that acupuncture is often used:

1) Recovery from injury or disease.

a) Pain relief – both acute and chronic.

b) Speed healing process.

c) Organ disease, imbalance, or dysfunction

2) Improved organ/system function.

a) Acupuncture has a profound effect on the circulatory and neurological systems.

b) Improved sleep.

c) Decrease in stress, anxiety, and depression

d) Improved digestion/elimination and weight control.

e) Improved immune system functioning.

f) Longevity – staying well

3) Assisting the athlete

a) Improved recovery time from: fatigue, D.O.M.S., trauma, intense training, competition

b) Speed healing of sprains, strains, trigger points, and muscle spasms.