Many athletes who suffer sports injuries have turned to acupuncture to alleviate pain, increase range of motion of damaged or strained muscles and accelerate healing. According to ACUFinder.com, acupuncture is used to decrease swelling, spasms, and inflammation that result from muscle sprains and overuse. Many sports trainers for professional teams use acupuncture as part of their treatment for athletes who have suffered sports injuries.
Some of the commonly treated sports injuries include muscle pull, neck pain, shoulder impingement, tennis elbow, lower back strain, groin pull, hamstring strain, runner’s knee, shin splints, ankle sprain, Achilles tendonitis and arch pain.
Other studies suggest that acupuncture can be used to enhance athletic performance. Acupuncture has been proven to increase blood flow to certain parts of the body. Also a study conducted by the University of Beijing suggested that athletes who received acupuncture treatment after a strenuous workout were able to bring down the their heart rates quicker than those who did not receive the treatment.
Another study published in the American Journal of Acupuncture suggested that athletes who received acupuncture treatment had an enhanced ability to exercise and perform high workloads with a lower heart rate than athletes who did not received the treatment.
The takeaway from all of this is that acupuncture can be a key part of an athlete’s wellness program. It can not only be used to help treat various sports injuries, but can keep an athlete healthy and enhance his or her performance in a natural way that does not involve prohibited drugs like steroids.
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