A growing number of professional and amateur athletes visit an acupuncturist for the treatment with acupuncture for sports injuries and to help optimize their conditioning. If you are wondering how acupuncture treatment can help your acute or chronic sports injury, here are some tips.
Sprain and strain of a joint and its surrounded tissue are some of the most common sports related injuries (sprain involves the ligament and strain involves muscle or tendon). Besides pain, the typical response may include swelling of the injured area, redness or purple skin discoloration and reduced range of motion of the joint.
Patient Help Sheet Acupuncture and Sports Injuries
Acupuncture and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine can help subside, alleviate and ultimately get rid of the pain you be receiving as a result of a sports-related injury.
Everyone at some point in their life has been told about RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). A simple formula supposed to be the go-to method to cure injuries sustained during physical activity. But, what if RICE isn’t working? Well, luckily there are forms of TCM that can help with your injury.
Stretches to Prevent Sports Injuries
Stretching is a great way to prevent sports injury. Stretching should be utilized both before and after every physical activity, it makes sure to ease the muscles and release lactic acid, these two facets together help to make sure a sports-related injuries. A lot of people tend to only stretch before being physical active, but that can be a common mistake leading to certain injuries. By stretching both before and after physical activity you give your muscles both the rest and relaxation they need.
Herbs for Recovery and Enhancement
Many herbs have been known to be helpful in relieving pain sustained from sports injuries. Herbs and traditional Chinese medicine go hand and hand, and here a list of a few herbs to use when needing to recover from an injury or enhance your performance.
Wintergreen Essential Oil – This essential oil is a natural pain reliever, which you can use to combat acute pain within the musculoskeletal system.
Boswellia – With any strain or sprain there is always in ammation to accompany it. One of the best at-home treatments you can do is to grab some boswellia. Boswellia is from the frankincense tree and treats in ammation.
Turmeric – Turmeric is one of the great anti-in ammatories out there. You don’t even have to use it in a full meal, simply create some turmeric tea using water and ground turmeric to make a great cure for those sports injuries.
Aromatherapy to Aid in Recovery and Increase Performance
Helichrysum Italicum – This essential oil is great for treating bruises and strains. It supports fast and e cient recovering by penetrating into the tissue and aiding the circulatory system.
Rosemary, Lemon and Eucalyptus – A blend typically used in massage oil, by combining these di erent oils you can create a relaxing environment, which promotes calming stimulation.
Lavender – In addition to being a great cure for the lungs and bronchial spasms, lavender also serves a key purpose when it comes to sports injuries such as strains and sprains. Lavender reduces muscle pain and has anti-in ammatory e ects.
