You’re an athlete. You get injured. It comes with the territory. So two of your goals are faster recuperation from injury and improved sports performance. Most of your injuries are sustained as you push beyond your limits. Often you don’t get adequate time to completely heal, so you use painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs to dull the pains and reduce the inflammation. This is a only a temporary fix, and the aches and pains could be masking a more serious problem. These are your body’s warning signs, reporting that part of you is weakened and out of balance. Is your GP going to spend time looking for it with you? Your natural health practitioner will.

Acupuncture improves sports performance giving you the edge over competitors

It’s absolutely true that increasing numbers of professional sports teams are employing acupuncturists and other natural therapy providers to help their athletes recover from their injuries fast, prevent future injuries and significantly boost their performance.^1,2,3 Acupuncture is a healing therapy with a long history, with its usage exemplified in the treatment of generations of martial arts masters, quickly and effectively treating injuries sustained during training or combat.

Many people in the West are now familiar with the term Qi (chee), which is usually translated as ‘energy’, although it’s more than that. Qi is essential to life, creating abundant health and well being. For example, if you thought of your body as a house, with your heart being the lights and your stomach as the cooker and so on; to run the house well, the circuit supplying the power (Qi) needs to be in proper working order. The current needs to be strong but not too strong. This is where acupuncture comes in, it creates efficiency, it supplements energy where it’s weak and reduces where it’s too strong, creating balance. 

In the treatment of sports injuries, acupuncture works on two different levels. Locally, it increases blood flow and initiates a healing response directly at the site of injury. The increase in blood circulation will reduce healing time and will diminish swelling and bruising. Additionally, the increased number of white blood cells and immuno-molecules at the site will speed up the healing of soft tissue and reduce pain. In the context of the whole body, acupuncture stimulates the release a variety of natural bio-chemicals, including endorphins, serotonin, and neurotransmitters, which all assist the healing process by reducing pain and promoting relaxation. Additionally, acupuncture can reduce anxiety and serve to break down the mental barriers that sometimes hinder performance.

Now, consider this in the context of having a professional acupuncturist tailoring your sports performance treatment.