Acupuncture And The Vancouver Olympics
The opening ceremony of the XXI Vancouver Olympic Winter Games is February 12. For some of the athletes, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) helps them on their path to winning a medal.
Skiing is but one example of how TCM can help keep all winter athletes in medal-winning shape. Of course, along with all that schussing down the slopes comes the possibility of injuries. In fact, one of the most common injuries is a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
ACL injuries are caused by traumatic force applied to the knee with a twisting motion, causing forceful hyperextension. The skier typically hears an audible “pop” upon impact, followed by acute pain, instability of the knee with swelling, difficulty bearing weight, and the feeling that the knee will give out. In sports medicine, the initial treatment of an acute ACL sprain includes ice and anti-inflammatory medication. Traditional TCM treatment protocol for ACL repairs integrate acupuncture and cupping. The practitioner may also choose add massage, chiropractic or herbs. The treatment of ACL injuries by integrating Eastern Medicine increases the rate and integrity of recovery.
Examples of world-class athletes who are using acupuncture to get back (and stay) in shape are Canadian skier Veronika Bauer and U.S. Olympic skier Steven Nyman.
We at Chen’s Acupuncture in Seattle/Bellevue, WA are wishing all athletes from around the world successful Olympic games!
Source: Acupuncture Today, February 2010, Volume 11, Number 2
(Image courtesy of grifray Flickr under the creative commons license)
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