Acupuncture for Sports (or any other) Injuries

Studies show that acupuncture effectively treats sports injuries such as strains, sprains, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle pain, swollen muscles, and shin splints.

• acupuncture reduced pain in patients with plantar fasciitis (Zhang 2001);
• electroacupuncture had better therapeutic effects than medication, both in the short and long term, in patients with acute lumbar strain (Yao-chi 2007);
• acupuncture plus warmed needle relieved the pain of chondromalacia patella (Qui 2006);
• acupuncture reduced NSAID intake and relieved pain in patients with shin splints (Callison 2002);
• acupuncture reduced the pain of patellofemoral pain syndromes (Jensen 1999);
• acupuncture was effective for soft tissue disease (Yuan 1989).

In addition to treating the injury, Acupuncture can also improve performance and give athletes a competitive edge.

The largest clinical study of acupuncture ever conducted was published in the December 2004 Annuals of Internal Medicine and found acupuncture to significantly reduce and improve function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. In recent years, acupuncture has become more popular in Western countries and is now recognized by the National Institute of Health as an acceptable form of treatment for pain.