Traditional Chinese medicine is an ancient healthcare principle that’s been in practice for thousands of years. Alternative medicine practices such as acupuncture and herbal medicines are the primary healing methods of TCM.
Over the last few years, many Western countries quickly adopt Eastern medicine practices because of their efficacy and simplicity.
More and more people are starting to recognize the importance of Chinese medicine due to its holistic approach to human healthcare. The benefits of using Chinese medicine are:
- Reduces inflammation in the body
- It helps preserve muscle strength, balance, and limberness
- Lowers the body’s stress response
- Increases recovery by stimulating the body’s healing mechanisms
Today, Chinese medicine is being used by physical therapists to accelerate recovery with injured athletes. Soccer, rugby, and basketball are physically demanding sports, and one of the most common injuries players face is a sports hernia.
What Is A Sports Hernia?
A sports hernia (also called athletic pubalgia) is an injury caused by sudden twisting movements of the body.
This is commonly found in athletes playing vigorous sports where their bodies are subjected to explosive direction changes.
A sports hernia is characterized by having severe pain in the groin area where soft muscle tissues have been torn.
Sports hernias are different from traditional hernias. The latter occurs when an organ pushes through surrounding connective tissues, called fascia, causing the muscle tissues to tear.
A sports hernia left untreated may lead to an inguinal hernia where abdominal organs are pushed against the torn muscle tissues, causing a visible bump near the groin area.
Chinese Medicine Role in Treating Sports Hernias
Depending on the severity of the injury, sports hernias usually heal with nonsurgical treatment. If surgery is not required, physical therapy for 4 to 6 weeks will help reduce chronic groin pain.
This is where the wonders of Chinese medicine come into play. By utilizing various alternative healing methods, Chinese medicine allows injured athletes to recover quickly from injuries by helping the body repair damaged tissues.
Physical therapists are incorporating methods such as acupuncture, cupping, and herbal medicines to reduce inflammation, decrease pain, and promote natural healing. The Chinese people believe that the body is a network of interconnected body parts rather than separate organ systems (part of a Chinese concept called the Meridian system).
This allows TCM practitioners to target different points throughout the body and indirectly treat injuries and other complications.
How Acupuncture Works in Treating Sports Injuries
One of the most popular forms of Chinese medicine is acupuncture. This treatment involves piercing the skin using very thin needles to different body points to help alleviate pain and increase recovery speeds.
According to the Chinese, the effectiveness of acupuncture lies in modifying the flow of energy throughout the body (known as chi), which stimulates the body’s healing mechanisms. Acupuncture is slowly being adopted by many sports teams today, especially in competitive athletics where the chance of an injury is high.
Acupuncture effectively treats sprains, muscle tissue damage, and chronic body pain caused by athletic activities. When combined with physical therapy, acupuncture does wonders for overall athletic performance by correcting muscle imbalances.
This is achieved by inserting acupuncture needles into specific motor points in the body to release myofascial tissues that support and protect your muscles and bones.
Sleep is one of the most critical factors that affect the recovery of athletes. Acupuncture provides a soothing, relaxing experience that translates to quality sleep.
These are some of the benefits of acupuncture in treating sports injuries that many athletic trainers are taking advantage of.
Using Herbal Medicine to Facilitate Healing
Utilizing the regenerative powers of herbal medicines is a staple in traditional Chinese medicine. In practice, herbal medicine offers therapeutic benefits like decreasing fatigue, reducing swelling and inflammation, and promoting muscle recovery.
TCM practitioners use a combination of natural substances extracted from Chinese herbs to create a holistic, synergistic, and balanced formula.
In sports, physical therapists use different salves and liniments to soothe fatigued muscles and massage injured body parts to facilitate recovery through external herbal medicine treatment.
There are plenty of Chinese herbal concoctions that are formulated to treat a variety of medical conditions. Herbal medicines work in tandem with physical therapy to increase rehab speeds in injured athletes and help them maintain peak performance through proper recovery.
Making Use of Cupping to Promote Faster Healing
Many sports teams are adopting the cupping method thanks to its many benefits. Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine that TCM practitioners and massage therapists widely use.
Suction cups are placed at different points throughout your body to relieve pain and offer deep-tissue massage. It eliminates stagnant blood and helps promote blood flow to increase muscle recovery in injured athletes.
At the Rio 2016 Olympics, swimmers were spotted with red circles around their bodies, meaning that top athletic trainers and physical therapists utilize the cupping method. After intense physical activity, cupping helps promote faster recovery by draining out waste products by increasing blood flow and expelling waste products from muscle tissues.
This process replaces the waste products with vital oxygen and nutrients to help athletes recover faster and maintain optimum performance.
Conclusion
Traditional Chinese medicine has been increasingly adopted in competitive sports thanks to its holistic approach to human body recovery. Physical therapists combine these natural healing methods with modern-day healing techniques to facilitate muscle tissue rehabilitation from injured athletes. With the use of TCM, athletes can perform better and maintain their overall health and longevity.
