What is sports acupuncture?

Mastering a sport can take an extensive amount of work and dedication, so there may come a point where your body can’t keep up with the amount of strenuous effort you exert.

Since maintaining good physical and mental health is vital to an athlete’s abilities, relying on medicines alone may not be enough to treat all your conditions.

Using fine needles to relieve body pain and relax muscles may sound counterintuitive, but the traditional methods of acupuncture are shown to improve an athlete’s performance.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that uses thin stainless steel needles to ease pain and symptoms. 

Acupuncturists place needles at strategic points on your body to stimulate your nerves and muscles to help you achieve better physical and mental health.

Because of these benefits, acupuncture has found its way through sports medicine to help athletes recover and relieve pain from certain injuries.

This includes treating sprains, strains, swelling, numbness, and decreased range of motion from either acute or chronic injuries.

What does acupuncture do for athletes?

No matter what sport you play, the rigorous work of training and playing professionally can lead to a number of stress and injuries to your body. That’s why the alternative methods of sports acupuncture can play a huge role in keeping your body in top shape. 

But aside from healing injuries, acupuncture is also proven to improve your overall performance in the field. So here are a few of the benefits that it can do for your brain and body:

Relieves pain

Since playing a sport requires a substantial amount of physical exertion, consistent training can lead to various pains and ailments that can restrict you from playing at your best.

So to solve this, a few acupuncture sessions can help you reduce or eliminate these aches since it stimulates your body’s natural healing abilities. Inserting needles into areas where you feel pain will release endorphins that can provide long-lasting relief.

Since it’s rare to feel side effects from acupuncture, some athletes also prefer to use this method rather than rely on medication to ease their pain.

Speeds up recovery

After an intense day of practice or competition, your muscles may feel sore and tight so it’s only natural to give your body enough time to rest.

To help you prepare for another day of training, an acupuncture session can speed up your recovery process by increasing the blood flow in your body. This will help your muscles relax, easing the tension and swelling that you’re feeling.

With regular treatments, acupuncture will also enhance your body’s natural process of healing so you’ll need less time to recuperate from injuries and stress.

Enhances endurance

If you’re looking to improve your performance in your upcoming tournaments, regular acupuncture sessions can improve your endurance as it regulates your nervous system.

Focusing on treating your lungs, liver, and digestive system can also give you a boost of energy that will help you achieve goals that were previously hard to obtain.

In turn, acupuncture will also increase your brain’s melatonin production, giving you a better sleeping experience. This is vital for an athlete’s performance, as it allows your body a better chance of recovering.

Improves mental health

Playing a competitive sport can take a toll on a professional athlete’s mental health since the pressures of training and performing well can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety that can deflect your focus.

So to relieve this pressure, acupuncture can improve your mental well-being by increasing your endorphins and managing your cortisol levels.

If you’re nervous about a major tournament, an acupuncture treatment can also help you relax as it’s also known to settle down your nerves.

Prevents injuries and illnesses

If you’re focusing on a single sport, constantly working the same group of muscles causes them to wear out faster than intended. So if you’re not careful, this can lead to recurring injuries that may affect your performance in the long run. 

But through acupuncture, you can eliminate your reoccurring symptoms as it reduces inflammation, and repairs muscle balance.

Continuous treatments can also strengthen your immune system, protecting you from certain illnesses so you can have more time to perfect your skills.

Is it worth getting acupuncture?

Since maintaining optimal health can be difficult for a professional athlete to keep up with, finding the right treatment that can accommodate your physical and mental well-being can make your daily life more convenient.

So based on the list above, regular acupuncture treatments can be beneficial for an athlete as they will help your body recover faster and give you a better overall performance.

So if you have any questions or are interested in knowing more about acupuncture treatments, you can contact Lycoming Orthopedic & Sports Acupuncture now to book an initial consultation.