The Bay Area is a fabulous place to pursue serious athletic training with our great weather, specialized training facilities in each neighborhood, and fantastic communities of dedicated athletes. In fact, it’s such a great environment that I wind up supporting many athletes who suffer from over-training: they have shin splints or stress fractures, persistent muscle soreness, fatigue and low motivation, restless sleep, or other nagging injuries. Acupuncture can decrease inflammation in the muscles, increase circulation to enable the body to clear out metabolic waste in the muscles, and decrease stress and pain sensations in order to enable a return to the physical and mental functioning needed to excel. Increasing circulation and decreasing inflammation are essential for optimal muscle functioning. For athletes, I’ll provide sessions that are focused on treating individual muscle groups that may be tight or in pain as well as providing systemic improved circulation throughout the whole body. With athletes I will often use additional modalities such as cupping, gua sha, and/or electrostimulation.

• Cupping is a technique that uses suction to pull the muscle fibers apart. This can reduce adhesions within the muscles and creates space between the muscle fibers to allow blood and lymph to flow properly. This typically results in an improvement in range of motion within the muscles and a decrease in pain.
• Gua sha is a rubbing technique that uses a flat and blunt tool to scrape the muscle fibers apart. Similarly to cupping, gua sha succeeds at increasing circulation and decreasing muscle adhesions. It typically feels like a deep massage.
• Electrostimulation is a way of providing additional stimulation to the acupuncture points by running electric current through some of the acupuncture needles. This increases the intensity of the treatment and can result in muscle fibers relaxing from a state of spasm or constant overexertion.

Acupuncture is also helpful at reducing stress and adjusting imbalances in the body that may be contributing to fatigue, pain, and insomnia. While the acupuncture sessions work directly on the overused muscle fibers, it also works systemically to provide relaxation and a sense of well-being. Are you ready to improve your athletic potential using acupuncture? Call me to set up your first appointment. I look forward to meeting you!