From Hesitating To Compete, To New Personal Best: Using Acupuncture To Help Achieve Peak Performance
Recurring sports injuries are frustrating, especially when you are trying to build fitness and stick to a training schedule. Acupuncture can help manage sport injuries and enhance recovery. Recently, Brendan from the Village Remedies team worked with powerlifter, Martin for his recurring pec strain and long standing rotator cuff injury related to overuse. Martin also had an extremely busy work, study and training with almost no time for proper recovery. As a result he was not sure if his injuries were even going to let him compete.
However, with weekly acupuncture not only did he end up competing but got a new personal best. So how did we do it?
We used distal needling techniques, which meant needling areas of the body that avoid the site of injury and areas that are used for training. Distal needling can help the body to relax to heal the affected area. Each time he would leave the clinic with reduced pain, increased range of motion and help him catch up on his much needed recovery time.
This, in turn decreased delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) so he could recover faster and was able to train harder. After 5 weekly treatments before competition day, not only was his pecs and shoulders feeling the best they had felt in years, but he was able to achieve a new personal best.
Obviously acupuncture can't replace hard work and determination, but it can be a very useful tool in improving and maintaining injuries and making sure you get the most out of your recovery time. The next time your going through an intense training schedule, consider using acupuncture to manage your fatigue and injuries and help achieve your goals.