Injured athletes who receive acupuncture are often able to return to training more quickly.

British Acupuncture Council Factsheet on Sports Injuries by ARRC (Acupuncture Research Resource Centre).

Injured athletes who receive acupuncture are often able to return to training more quickly than would otherwise be possible, and the treatment is therefore used by top sports people and athletes, including the British Rugby team, many Premiership football teams and the British Olympic team, to treat musculoskeletal problems. Since keeping the body in balance promotes more efficient training, acupuncture is also increasingly being used to enhance athletic performance.

Research has shown that acupuncture treatment can promote resolution of injuries by:

- providing pain relief (Pomeranz, 1987).

- increasing local microcirculation (Komori et al, 2009) which aids dispersal of swelling and bruising.

- suppression of the peripheral inflammatory response (Kim et al, 2008) and other anti-inflammatory mechanisms (Kavoussi & Ross, 2007, Zijlstra et al , 2003).

- breaking down scar tissue - controlled microtrauma causes a local inflammatory response, which initiates reabsorption of inappropriate fibrosis or excessive scar tissue and facilitates a cascade of healing activities resulting in remodeling of affected soft tissue structures.

- promoting faster recovery after training sessions (Pan & Pan, 2007).

Read the full article on recent acupuncture research for sports injuries -British Acupuncture Council Factsheet on Sports Injuries by ARRC (Acupuncture Research Resource Centre).

Scientists find acupuncture can help to relieve chronic back pain

The Times May 12, 2009, by Sam Lister, Health Editor.

Using acupuncture to treat chronic back pain is more effective than standard treatments alone, a leading scientific study has found.

Trials involving 638 back pain sufferers have suggested that acupuncture is successful in relieving discomfort, although how it works remains unclear. A “fake” version also produced results, indicating that belief in the therapy may have played a key role in its success.

In the project, known as Spine (stimulating points to investigate needling efficacy), patients were divided into groups to receive standard care alone, with one of two variants of genuine acupuncture or with a placebo.

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