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The following members of the QATCMA have completed
the list of criteria for being able to safely and effectively
treat sports injuries and to help increase an athlete’s
potential for better performance.
Founding members of the British Columbia Acupuncture Sports
Medicine Group:
Dr. Chris Vallee DTCM
Dr. Bill Hardman DTCM
Ian Dunsmuir DTCM, Reg Acupuncturist
Dr. Carol Nicolle-Tsiakos
Acupuncture is growing in popularity in the western world
by leaps and bounds. Yet there remains a largely untapped
capability of acupuncture. That is its role in sports medicine.
There are three main areas of sports in which acupuncture
and related therapies can offer great benefit: treatment of
sports injuries; prevention or sports injuries; and athletic
performance enhancement.
Injuries are a fact of the sporting life. Pushing their bodies
to extremes, athletes set themselves up to go beyond their
limits. Most sports injuries involve the musculoskeletal system.
A combination of acupuncture, massage, nutritional, herbal
and homeopathic can be of great assistance in the healing
of injuries. Often, athletes are able to return to active
training and competing sooner than would otherwise be possible
with conventional therapies. Injuries ranging from pulled
hamstring, ligament strains and sprains, tendonitis, bursitis,
to more serious bone fractures can benefit greatly.
By intergrading a regular treatment program with sound nutrition,
herbal support, and a sensible approach to preparation and
training, injuries can be minimized. Regular treatment helps
keep the body in balance, even as the athlete’s intense
training and competition stresses the body further. By Keeping
in balance, the body is less susceptible to injury. This also
allows for quicker recovery from competition, and from injuries.
Keeping the body in balance allows for more efficient training.
Training more efficiently and effectively is the surest way
to improve performance. However, there are also supplements,
herbal programs, and treatments that can help improve performance
when used as par4t of a comprehensive program. The Olympic
Committee has even recognized the advantages on herb called
Ma Huang, and this now a banned substance. Many other herbs
and nutritionals are not banned, but can still offer improvements
in performance and recovery.
Oriental medicine approaches health in a complete way. The
body, mind, and sprit are seen as functioning interdependently.
In a complete approach, acupuncture is regarded equally with
training, nutrition, stretching, proper warm-up and warm-down,
meditation and relaxation. With such an approach, an athlete
is assured of reaching his or her personal goals.
In many countries such as Russia and China, extensive research
has been carried out on the benefits of these therapies for
athletes. Often for competitive reasons, the result of this
research is kept largely within the respective countries.
Many countries do, however, include acupuncture and related
therapies in their regular training regimens. Many teams and
clubs are also catching on and offering acupuncture to their
members. Additionally, there remains some resistance to acupuncture
from the mainstream medical community. They often won’t
endorse something they don’t understand, and because
acupuncture is based on principles in which they are not trained,
they don’t understand it. Further research is needed
before there can be widespread acceptance.
Acupuncture today is usually performed with very thin sterile
disposable stainless steel needles. There is often little
or no pain associated with the procedure. An acupuncturist,
depending on the injury being treated, may choose points around
the affected area, on the back, the ear and even on the e
other limbs. Sometimes a small electric current will be run
through the needles to enhance the treatment. A typical office
treatment will last 30 minutes or more and may also include
a massage, heat or cold, and an herbal/nutritional consultation.
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