Acupuncture: The Key to Maximizing Athletic Performance
Acupuncture is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) technique. It originated almost 3,000 years ago in China. TCM experts believe that an illness occurs when Qi, the life force that circulates within the body of every living being, stagnates.
Studies show that acupuncture can help alleviate many health problems, such as chronic pain, headaches, and digestive issues. It also reduces the symptoms of enervating mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. It is 100% safe and drug-free and can help reduce chonic pain-related medication dependence.
Does Acupuncture Hurt?
Many people shudder at the thought of needles and automatically assume that acupuncture will hurt. What many do not know is that acupuncturist uses paper-thin needles instead of what you might think of as traditional hypodermic needles. Insertion usually doesn’t cause discomfort or pain. Some clients report finding the experience so relaxing they fell asleep on the table.
Benefits of Sports Acupuncture
Professional athletes and amateurs use acupuncture to improve athletic performance. Sports acupuncture near Oakland can treat different sports-related injuries, including traumatic and overuse injuries. Acupuncture can fast-track injury recovery, allowing you to return to the field sooner after an injury. Unlike many other therapies that mask the symptoms of performance problems, sports acupuncture treats the root of the cause.
At Root & Stem Integrative Chinese Medicine, our team helps athletes get back in the game with therapeutic sports acupuncture treatments. Here are some of the most compelling reasons we receive athletes being seen for sports acupuncture services.
It Reduces Pain
Pain from an injury can affect an athlete’s balance, stamina, and flexibility. As a result, their athletic performance may decline. Acupuncture has been recognized as an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain. It reduces pain by stimulating the brain to produce feel-good hormones such as endorphins, oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine.
These hormones reduce pain perception and affect one’s physical and emotional well-being. Acupuncture also helps reduce the levels of stress hormones in the body. Research suggests that acupuncture can help with acute inflammation from sports injuries by inducing the production of anti-inflammatory hormones that prevent the widespread tissue and nerve damage associated with inflammation.
It Helps Recover Faster from Injuries
Acupuncture can fast-track injury recovery by reducing inflammation and promoting blood flow to the affected body. Feel-good hormones the brain produces during acupuncture treatment relieve muscle aches and pains. As circulation improves, tensed, tight and stiff muscles relax.
Sports injuries can cause sleep problems. Poor sleep is linked to impeded recovery. Acupuncture can help calm the mind and body and decrease stress, allowing you to sleep better. When you sleep a whole night, your damaged tissues get enough time to repair and rebuild themselves.
At the end of a study that carried out 46 random trials on 3,811 patients, the researchers found that acupuncture increased the sleep duration of the subjects by three hours.
A sports injury can affect your immune system by disrupting immune system homeostasis. A weakened immune system needs more time to repair the affected part of the body after an injury. Acupuncture can strengthen a weakened immune system by increasing the production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and T-cells.
It Helps with Injury Prevention
Why wait for a sports injury to occur and then treat it when you can prevent it in the first place? Acupuncture can help improve flexibility, and stability, increase your range of motion and decrease muscle tension to prevent injuries.
During the initial consultation, your sports acupuncturist will perform a physical examination to identify problem areas that you may be unaware of.
Once your acupuncturist acquires an in-depth understanding of the issues such as posture problems, chronic muscle overuse, and poor exercise form that increase your risk of sports injury, they will come up with an action plan to address them before they snowball into major problems. Your sports acupuncturist can release trigger points, helping ensure that your muscles remain loose and flexible during workouts, thereby reducing the risk of injury.
It Increases Awareness & Improves Response Times
Acupuncture can help improve situational awareness, allowing athletes of different skill levels to assess their environment to know what’s happening around them.
Many athletes use acupuncture to improve their cognitive function. When your cognitive functions, such as attention, decision-making, and problem-solving, improve, you can perform optimally in stressful and demanding environments.
Many athletes have difficulty coping with pre-competition nervousness and performance anxiety. Acupuncture can help reduce stress levels and help with anxiety by increasing the production of feel-good hormones and lowering stress hormone levels.
It Boosts Energy Levels
Lack of energy is a barrier to athletic performance. Athletes with low energy levels get tired quickly and cannot achieve peak performance. Acupuncture heals energy blocks, allowing Qi to flow freely throughout the body. This boosts circulation, leading to an overall increase in energy and vitality.
What to Expect When Seeing an Acupuncturist for the First Time?
During the initial consultation, your acupuncturist will ask about your health history. Your acupuncturist may order imaging tests to understand better the health problem you are experiencing.
Root & Stem Integrative Chinese Medicine is a trusted acupuncture clinic in Oakland. Our acupuncturists have spent years mastering TCM techniques. They bring specialized skills and years of experience treating acute and chronic conditions to the table. To schedule an appointment with one of our sports acupuncture specialists, call (510) 463-4304.
