Tuesday, 14th of June 2011 Various athletes such as basketball, baseball, football players as well as golfers and gymnasts use acupuncture as a form of treatment for sport related injuries to quicken healing. Many professional sports players and teams have acupuncturists on staff to help with musculoskeletal problems and sports injuries. Acupuncture reduces pain, increases recovery time, increases range of motion, increases healing time and helps to strengthen weaker parts of the body. After a session of acupuncture, a variety of substances are released into the body such as endorphins, serotonin and neuropeptides/neurotransmitters to help relieve pain and aid in relaxation
In a recent interview, Grant Hill of the Phoenix Suns talks about his acupuncture treatments and says “I do it for energy sometimes and also help for recovery with the legs…it doesn’t hurt… they try to treat the body overall. Instead of looking at a problem in the body, they try to find the cause of the problem and fix that.” He also mentions maybe other basketball players receive acupuncture including Kevin Johnson, Steve Nash, Charles Barkley, Jason Kidd, Shaquille O’Neal etc. In the 1990’s Charles Barkley received acupuncture to restore range of motion to his neck.
How does Acupuncture help for Injuries?
- Reduces pain
- Reduces swelling
- Relaxes the muscles and relieves spasms
- Decreases inflammation
- Improves blood circulation to decrease bruising
- Increases local microcirculation to help heal injuries and attract white blood cells to the area which helps increase rate of healing and reduces swelling/bruising.
To read more on various athletes and their use of acupuncture:
Acupuncture Benefits Phoenix Suns Grant Hill
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