As an avid skier, I’m excited to be watching the Winter Olympics now taking place in Beijing, China- the country where acupuncture originated thousands of years ago.  Did you know in 2008 the Olympic Village in Beijing offered free acupuncture to athletes and officials of the games, making it the first Olympic Village in history to do so?  This year, many athletes have been receiving acupuncture for months back home to prepare them for their events and heal their training injuries.  

Several of my Olympian clients have shortened their recovery from surgery and major injury by receiving regular acupuncture and using herbal therapy.  Big air and slopestyle competitor Izzy Atkin is remarkably now on her way to Beijing to compete, following a concussion and a broken pelvis this December!  She and her Olympic skier sister Zoe both use holistic therapy as a key part of their training.

“Acupuncture has helped me through a lot of my injuries and also a concussion.  It helps me with pain and muscle soreness and also helps me sleep properly so my body can heal itself. 

 

My doctors can’t believe how fast I healed!  I know acupuncture helped me maintain my health and now recover from a huge injury, so I can continue pushing my athletic limits and performance.”     

-Izzy Atkin, Olympic and World Cup Freeskier 

Many elite athletes and pro sports teams now attribute their success to having acupuncturists as a part of their programs. Tour de France cyclists, Grand Slam tennis champions, Olympic swimming teams (remember the cupping marks on Michael Phelps?), and Champion League footballers have all described the ways in which acupuncture helped them feel calm before a competition and supported speedy recovery from injuries.

Receiving regular acupuncture treatments and cupping during athletic training and even weekend warrior activity can be highly beneficial.   Some acupuncture points are located at trigger points in the muscles and these painful areas get relief when they are massaged or needled.  Others are at motor points, where the nerve innervates the muscle, and some are at significant anatomical sites like the nerve-rich areas of tendons and their attachment to the bones. Needling acupuncture points at the various sites of the muscles and tendons can treat and prevent injuries by improving circulation and encouraging rapid healing to the area. 

Acupuncture and herbal therapy can also improve athletic performance & endurance.

Specific acupuncture points on the body and ears are used to stimulate larger areas of the body, such as legs, arms and torso, improving energy and blood flow in these areas and enhancing mobility, strength, and recovery.  You can even take home some of these treatments, like ear seeds, to use while exercising.

Often I will prescribe a variety of herbal tonics to help you increase your endurance, concentration, and adrenal energy, and there are many homeopathic and natural, safe remedies that assist with healing injury. One of my favorites is CBD- a natural herbal product that can improve sports performance by reducing pain and inflammation, easing stress, and promoting better sleep.  I have several CBD products that do not contain any trace of THC, they are non-psychoactive and will pass any drug testing, and they can safely be used in conjunction with medications.  I use CBD myself before a big day of skiing or cycling to prevent muscle fatigue and inflammation.  Works like a charm!

When combined with rehabilitative therapy, acupuncture can help heal most sports injuries, especially tendon and ligament strains.  Acupuncture can quickly lessen inflammation and improve blood circulation and is best done right after the injury.   Acupuncture will help reduce healing time if done pre and post-surgically.  Also used for the relief of chronic pain and injuries, acupuncture can accelerate the healing process by reducing swelling, boosting the immune system, providing energy, better sleep, and more serenity to the patient.  I work with many orthopedic surgeons and they all recommend acupuncture after surgery to improve outcomes.  

If you have any questions about acupuncture and if it’s right for you, schedule a session or free consult today!

Here’s to getting you back in the game,

Go Izzy and Zoe!!!