Acupuncture Can Help Athletes Recover Faster
Injury is the most dreaded of possibilities for athletes, amateur or professional. The down time waiting for the wounds to heal can be mind-numbing and infuriating. And when you finally think that you’re ready to get back in the ring, that you’re back in top health, your injury may flare up again keeping you from performing your best. This has caused athletes, athletic doctors and physical therapists to search for better ways to treat injuries incurred during sports and faster ways to heal.
Recent studies have lent credence to the belief among athletes that acupuncture can help you recover faster from athletic injury. Research included a test with three groups: a control group which received acupuncture, another group which received sham acupuncture and a third which received neither. The study tested the subject’s heart rate, oxygen consumption and blood lactic acid as indicators of the health of the athlete’s performance. The acupuncture group tested better in all three categories. Further tests are in the works to truly pin point the efficacy of acupuncture on athletic injury but preliminary results are promising as they substantiate a previously, widely-held belief of many athletes.