When your lower back or glutes flare up painfully after going too hard trail running over the weekend, your default instinct might be to add some extra stretching to your routine or schedule some time with your massage therapist or chiropractor. If the pain is excruciating, you might even consult with a sports medicine doctor.
But there’s another accessible and effective treatment option for aches and pains. One that has only limited side effects and that’s been practiced for thousands of years.
It’s acupuncture. And although the mechanisms through which acupuncture works in the body aren’t fully understood, and there may be a placebo effect in play, research repeatedly indicates that acupuncture is effective at treating various forms of pain, including those related to myofascia, the back, and osteoarthritis.
Here’s what you need to know about acupuncture’s potential role in treating sports injuries.
Acupuncture and Sports Medicine
Acupuncture is a practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that involves inserting small, thin needles through the skin and often into the superficial layers of the…
