This is a relatively new term in the West. Sports Acupuncture is emerging as more and more athletes are seeking alternatives to traditional Western treatments for injuries, sprains, strains, fractures, etc. Athletes are attracted to the holistic principles in Chinese Medicine which allow them to not only heal faster and better, but give them that extra edge when it comes to competition or race time since for many athletes, timing is everything.

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This acupuncture, designed to help sports injuries or soreness, uses an acupuncture needle to fasciculate or "reset" any muscles that may have been pulled or are in spasm. It focuses the body’s attention on specific areas of injury in order to decrease pain and inflammation, and increase blood flow to the area so that it may heal quicker.

Sports Acupuncture is a newer, cutting edge approach to treating injuries from things such as repetitive use, over-training, accidental sprains or strains. The term “muscle pop” is often used to describe the sensation a patient feels during the treatment. A muscle “jump” or “twitch” or “pop” is the fasciculation or resetting of an individual muscle. Your practitioner will palpate the area that is involved to feel any muscles that may be in spasm or need to be reset. You may feel the muscle twitch or jump when needled and the muscle should feel slightly sore afterwards, as if you have just done a workout at the gym. While it may be slightly sore, you should feel an immediate increase in range of motion and flexibility.

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We thus combine the modern idea of “motor points” or “trigger points” with the ancient system of acupuncture to treat the patient. After the needles are inserted, the practitioner may apply heat and/or external herbal liniments to the area to help facilitate the healing process of each muscle or joint involved.

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The main difference between sports acupuncture and other styles of acupuncture is the focus. It combines the methods and techniques of traditional acupuncture with contemporary sports medicine assessment and diagnostics. Movement and postural analysis are the focus of the procedure, and more detailed or specific orthopedic testing is performed as part of the assessment. Treatment often involves the traditional acupuncture points, but also includes points more specific to myofascial conditions and movement dysfunctions, in order to focus on athletic movement.  Injury recovery, injury prevention and performance enhancement are the main points of treatment.

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Please note: This method of acupuncture is not the normal 45-minute session. We usually have you in and out of the door in 20 minutes or less.

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