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Acupuncture for Sports and Other Injuries

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acupuncture sports injuriesSports injuries (and other injuries like over-use injuries, repetitive strain injury and tendinitis) are really annoying because they stop you doing the sport or leisure activity you love, or they might interfere with work or study.

Common sports and over-use injuries include:

  • Tennis elbow (often caused by something other than tennis!)
  • Golfer’s elbow (often caused by something other than golf!)
  • Knee ligament injuries
  • Iliotibial tract (band) syndrome (runner’s knee)
  • Shin splints
  • Ankle sprains
  • Achilles tendonitis, calf strain
  • Hamstring strain, groin strain
  • Frozen shoulder (often not related to sports or over-use, but it can respond very well to acupuncture), rotator cuff tear

Whether you have occasional niggles or acute, severe pain, you probably want to get to the bottom of what’s happening and find a long-lasting solution. This is where acupuncture comes in. Most of the injuries above respond well to Acupuncture. For recent injuries, we usually see a response in around 4 treatments, but longstanding injuries can take longer.

Treatments involve needles placed at specific acupuncture points in the region of the injury, as well as ones inserted at points further along the acupuncture meridian (one of a network of lines that circulate the energy or “Qi”). Other points are also used to promote healing. For these types of injury, moxibustion (a form of herbal heat treatment) is also very useful. Massage is also used when indicated.

Our Acupuncturists are a registered Acupuncturist with experience in treating a wide variety of sports injuries, including in elite athletes. Health-fund rebates are available for Acupuncture treatments.

 

Sports Massage: Pre and Post Event Massage

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massage stretchingIf you’re training for an upcoming event and are looking to be in tip-top shape, the needs of those pre sport verses the needs of those post sport are very different. Pre sport massage focuses on relieving muscles via light compression and lymphatic release, whereas post sport focuses on repair, via slow deep friction techniques, stretching (passive and active) and mobilisation. Pre sport massage should not be invasive as massage can temporarily weaken muscles in order to aid in successful repair.

 

Pre sport massage

Pre sport massage is given under the assumption that the athlete is pre conditioned to the activity that they are about to undertake and is therefore a means of enhancing the natural health of muscles by stimulating blood flow to provide nutrients to muscles in a relaxed state, and the lymphatic system, to remove waste from muscles that may be lingering. The massage focus is optimisation, to reduce risk of damage (not to undo damage).

Post sport massage

Post sport massage is focussed on undoing damage caused during activity; with an emphasis on (post sport) it is never advised to get this type of massage before a sport event. The massage focuses on breaking up scar tissue, tight connective tissues, and posture. Generally it is slower than remedial massage to focus on fibre release and increasing range of movement. I like to apply trigger point therapy within my post sport treatments as it allows for a far more successful release and breakdown of scar tissue, therefore, more successful mobilisation post treatment.