So now that we understand the main concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, we can look more closely at how Sports Acupuncture can  help professional athletes and weekend warriors to not only avoid the injury list, but also to operate at peak performance.  

Sports Acupuncture is now considered as a valuable addition to an athletes overall training and recovery program.  As touched upon above, it offers some potential benefits across both the physical and mental aspects of sport and high performance.  

So whether you are training for the Olympics, or training for a local fun run, here are some ways that sports acupuncture may help you:

Maximising physical performance: by identifying and treating any underlying health issues, maximising energy flow and boosting overall well-being, sports acupuncture may assist athletes to operate at a high level. 

Increased flexibility and range of motion: sports acupuncture may help to reduce muscle tightness, thereby improving the body’s range of motion. 

Pain reduction: sports acupuncture may promote the release of pain-reducing endorphins. 

Improved recovery: can be achieved by a reduction in inflammation, increase in blood circulation and reduction in muscle soreness. 

Injury prevention: part of sport acupuncture is to examine the whole body and identify and underlying issues that can be addressed before an injury may take hold. By locating and treating underlying issues injuries can be prevented or their severity reduced. 

Boosting concentration & focus:  sports acupuncture can help to relax and rebalance the central nervous system and muscles, enabling an athlete to perform under high pressure situations. 

Reduction in stress and anxiety: sport acupuncture can be used to regulate the body’s stress response which could come in handy if a major event or important sporting match is upcoming.