This article was originally published May 31, 2013 in Healthy Living Magazine
Another baseball season is upon us and we all have hopes and dreams of watching our favorite team win the World Series. Every team is looking for an edge, finding a pitching stud who wins 20 games or a strong bat like Robinson Cano who can drive that ball out of any park, but sometimes the greatest advantage a team can have is off the field. I’m not talking about performance enhancing drugs, but a reliable system of medicine that has been around for thousands of years, acupuncture.
That’s right acupuncture, one of the oldest systems of medicine in the world is being used by many professional athletes to enhance their performance, relieve stress, relax tight muscles and shorten their recovery time from injuries. If you don’t believe that acupuncture works to heal and prevent sports injuries ask the San Francisco Giants. Since 2009 they have been using licensed acupuncturist Haro Ogawa, in that time they have won the World Series twice!
Okay, so acupuncture isn’t the only reason the Giants won, but it gives their players a distinct advantage over their competition. Most major league teams play, five, six sometimes even seven games in a week, after eight months of this your team is shot, your athletes are exhausted and fatigued muscles start to turn into major injuries. However if your players were recovering faster from injuries, less fatigued during the regular season and playoffs, and especially less stressed and more focused while playing the game you would have a major advantage over your competition.
So how does acupuncture help? Acupuncture strives to balance the body energetically allowing it to function at a peak level. In Chinese medicine pain is caused by stagnation along meridians in the body. This stagnation can be in the form of a strained or tight muscle, a bruise or contusion, a dislocated shoulder, or any other injury that is blocking the free flow of Qi through the body. Acupuncturists use small needles, usually no thicker then a human hair, to clear these stagnations and return free flow of Qi throughout the body. By incorporating kinesiology, muscle testing and manual therapies acupuncture can promote recovery by reducing pain and swelling, increasing range of motion, strengthening weakened parts of the injured body, restoring mobility, strengthening the immune system and speeding healing time.
It is important to remember that acupuncture is not the only way to treat sports injuries you must use acupuncture in conjunction with the team doctors, trainers, physical therapists and strength trainers. Clear communication with all aspects of the medical staff is essential for the health of the athlete.
When muscles are balanced they are stronger, when the body is balanced it works better, and when the mind is at ease it functions at a superior level. Whether you are a weekend warrior or a pro-athlete acupuncture can help you achieve greater success in any sport you choose.
To learn more about Sports Medicine Acupuncture® visit the Maynard Clinic of Acupuncture or Schedule an Appointment.