In recent times acupuncture and related therapies have become increasingly popular as a complementary therapy for sports medicine. Cupping and gua sha are frequently used, take a look at our other blog posts on these topics to learn more.

In sports medicine we use acupuncture is used to treat a wide range of athletic injuries, including sprains, strains, tendinitis, and muscle pain. It is also used for injury prevention and performance improvement. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a professional, amateur, or simply enjoy being active. If you want to reduce downtime from injury, athletic acupuncture could be right for you.

A main advantage of athletic acupuncture is a broad-band approach. Reducing pain is essential, but so is treating the cause. Why does that shoulder strain constantly recur? Why does that hamstring always lock up if you don’t stretch it daily? The answers to these questions aren’t always easy, but they are necessary if you want to put these types of issues behind you, or develop a management approach that stop them interfering with your activity.

Acupuncture is always specific to you, tailored to your needs. Why is that? Let’s imagine that you took 10 people and asked them all to run 10 kilometers. Let’s also assume that they’re all moderately fit and agree to do it for science. At the end of the 10 kilometers, each one of them will likely be feeling it. But they’ll all feel it differently. Three may have sore knees, two aching ankles. One might have dropped out as they felt like they couldn’t breathe properly. Two more got the stitch halfway through and had to walk it off. The lucky final two feel great, but tomorrow one can barely walk. Why does this happen? Because every body is different. The way your body moves, distributes and manages weight, manifests stresses and develops problems is unique to you. As such, your treatment needs to be just the same; uniquely you.

It’s important to note that not all acupuncturists have the same level of training and experience. There are conditions that I would be at a loss treating, and would always refer to a colleague. It’s crucial to find a qualified practitioner who has specialized training in athletic acupuncture, as well as a thorough understanding of anatomy and the specific needs of athletes.

It’s worth noting that a particular advantage of athletic acupuncture is its safety. Our needles are incredibly thin and don’t damage surrounding tissues. They are also disposable, which eliminates the risk of cross-infection.