4 Benefits of Acupuncture for Athletes: Enhance Sport Performance and Heal Injuries
Acupuncture is the secret weapon to gaining a competitive edge as an athlete.
You want to be the best athlete on the field. You already train hard, practice often, and stick to your workout routine. Is there anything else you can do to enhance your sports performance?
Yes, there is.
You might think that gaining a competitive edge only happens on the field. But natural treatments like acupuncture and cupping therapy set you up for success.
If you want to reach peak athletic shape and recover from injuries faster – learn about these sports medicine treatments.
Acupuncture for Athletes
Whether you’re a professional athlete, weekend pick-up gamer, or just improving your game, you’re always the last one off the field. Legs sore, heart racing, you love that rush of endorphins you get when you compete.
Your competitive nature means you want to be the best that you can be. Of course, you would never consider unnatural supplements or steroids as these could be harmful to your health and credibility.
But not all treatments are bad. There are various natural methods of supporting your athletic ability – that are both safe and allowed in regulation.
Of all these modalities, we recommend acupuncture most often. This treatment gives your muscles oxygen and promotes recovery that leads to more strength and power.
The Benefits of Acupuncture
Sports teams and athletes increasingly use acupuncture for its healing abilities. Many teams are even adding acupuncturists to their roster of team doctors.
Acupuncture is known to improve sports ability by…
Helping you recover faster
Improving your flexibility
Decreasing muscle tension
Reducing inflammation
Preventing injury
Expediting the healing of sore muscles and injury
So, how does acupuncture work exactly?
By placing thin needles at key trigger points, acupuncture triggers your body's natural processes. This improves circulation and gives your muscles the oxygen they need to get stronger. This blood and oxygen flow also helps muscles recover faster from injury.
Acupuncture can decrease pain from an injury by reducing inflammation, increasing the immune response, and regulating the neuroendocrine system. Together, these reactions promote a healing response. It triggers the release of endorphins, which is a natural painkiller. But it also helps heal the root cause of your pain by restoring connected systems. (2)
Acupuncture solves the underlying problem instead of simply masking the pain with painkillers.
And it works best for injuries and sports enhancement when paired with other natural healing modalities, like…
Cupping. Special cups are placed on your skin to create suction. This deep-tissue massage helps with pain, inflammation, and blood flow.1
Gua Sha. Triggers blood flow to your muscles and tissues, realigns muscle fibers to help them recover and improve their range of motion.
Moxibustion. This herbal heat therapy also stimulates vital blood flow that leads to healing and recovery.
All these modalities both enhance your athletic performance and reduce the risk of injury. They also support healing your body faster when you do get injured. Because we all know that sports injuries occur – no matter how hard you try to prevent them.
For full detail on these methods, visit our acupuncture page.
Other Natural Methods to Enhance Sports Performance
Acupuncture and its supplemental therapies help most athletes improve their performance. But if you feel like there's something in the way of your improvement, there are other factors to consider.
Our approach to sports medicine is holistic and personalized. Meaning we work with you to uncover the methods that can specifically help you improve based on your health history, testing results, and past injuries.
Using all this information, we'll recommend a plan that sets you up for athletic success. This may include injection therapy and other lifestyle plans for you. Here are more details on the other natural methods that can improve your athletic capability.
Lab Testing
Training and exercising are vital to your performance as an athlete. But if you’re experiencing an imbalance or a deeper issue with your health, no amount of training can compete.
Any of these underlying factors can influence your sports performance and overall health:
Hormonal imbalances
Food allergies
Nutrient deficiencies
Toxic exposure
Gut problems
Genetic SNPs
Although these don’t appear to relate to your athletic performance, they all play a role in your strength and health, which ultimately has an influence on how you perform on the field.
We may recommend lab testing to get a snapshot of your health and underlying factors. Lab testing provides a strong starting point for your personal health plan.
Injection Therapy
When you hear "injections," you might immediately think of synthetic drugs like steroids. But there are completely safe, natural, and effective injections that improve sports performance.
Homeopathic and nutrient injections help you:
Heal muscle injuries
Heal ligaments and tendons
Improve circulation
These benefits lead to enhanced performance like speed and strength. Plus, they decrease fatigue and lead to recovery.
These are a few common types of injection therapy for sports performance:
Trigger Point Injection Therapy
Prolotherapy
Ozone therapy
Like acupuncture, injection therapy sets your body up for success. Think of it as giving your muscles a helpful boost.
Read more about injection therapies here.
Sports Nutrition
The food you eat fuels your body and builds strength. So your nutrition is key to improving your sports endurance.
Your daily foods should…
Fuel you with sustainable energy
Recover your muscles after working out
Set you up for success during sports performance
Lab testing can reveal which nutrients your body is lacking. This information could significantly enhance your sleep, recovery, and energy on the field.
If you're feeling like your training efforts aren't working, there may be an underlying reason. Our bodies give us cues when something’s not right, and it's our job to slow down and listen. These modalities help to uncover and address what your body needs to perform at its best.
Start Your Path to Optimal Athletic Performance
Like any health journey, your path to optimal sports performance is better with a guide. Instead of overhauling your diet and trying all the natural methods at once, work with someone who addresses your specific needs.
At Denver Sports and Holistic Medicine, we work with you to remove any roadblocks to feeling good and performing at your best. Book a consultation with us to learn about our personalized treatments that help you recover and perform. Just like we helped Rob...
“Martina is very compassionate and talented in her art. She showed concern for each of my pains caused by inflammation and tight muscles. I am nearly pain-free today.”
-Rob
Our methods do more than enhance your sports performance. They ultimately get you on your path to optimal health and vitality, too.
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