Acupuncture: An Athlete's Friend
Hi. I’m Brian, I’m new to Charleston Acupuncture and to the city of Charleston. I have relocated here from Brooklyn, NY and I’m enjoying my new environment. Two things that I’m not new to are running and acupuncture. I have been running for 24 years by my count, I ran my first marathon in NYC in 2000 and have completed countless races for 5K’s to marathons over the years. I’m been an acupuncture patient since 2002 and a licensed acupuncturist since 2012. Acupuncture has helped me run, perform at a high level, and remain injury free over the past decade. It’s my favorite training aid.
Acupuncture helps runners and all athletes (competitive and recreational) in a number of ways. Acupuncture is an efficient and effective way to treat tight and knotted muscles. The kind of muscle issues that no matter how much you stretch, the muscles never seem to change much. Acupuncture works locally to affect the muscle tissue; relax the muscle, increase circulation and improve blood flow. And it works systemically; prompting your central nervous system to auto-regulate, which will normalize the muscle’s resting tone and improve systemic circulation. In much the same way, acupuncture can treat sprains and strains. Sprains occur in ligaments and tendons that have been pushed past their ability to adapt to the stresses on them. Strains occur in muscles. Sprains and strains limit your ability to perform. If they aren’t treated and are ignored, your body will start to compensate for them in order to avoid pain, and develop movement patterns that are not as efficient and effective as your normal patterns. This can cause greater problems down the road.
In addition to the physical benefits athletes get from acupuncture, there are mental and systemic benefits. Acupuncture prompts your central nervous system to regulate itself. This can lead to better sleep and digestion, lower stress and a calmer mood, better circulation and positive changes in blood pressure and resting heart rate. All of these are positive changes that can keep you injury free and promote better athletic performance.
