Peer into the recovery rooms of an Olympic training camp or a Premier League club, and in addition to the ice baths and massage tables, you may find acupuncture needles. Acupuncture may seem like an odd fit for the data-driven world of elite sports, but it has become a popular choice among athletes of all levels.
British Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty has used it as part of his recovery routine from competitions. Double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington has credited it with helping her manage a shoulder injury she suffered during her swimming career. Sir Chris Hoy, who won multiple Olympic gold medals in cycling, has said that he uses acupuncture as part of his training and injury prevention regimen. Former British number one tennis player Tim Henman has also talked about using acupuncture to treat muscle soreness in his lower back and elbows.
Similarly, football has also seen a rise in the use of acupuncture as a treatment for injuries sustained by football players, especially in the Premier League. For Acupuncture Gloucester, contact www.purelandsacu.co.uk/acupuncture-gloucester
The appeal of acupuncture to these athletes is not particularly mysterious. The majority of elite athletes are wary of any treatment that might use medications to mask their pain or which would interfere with the rules against doping in their sports. Acupuncture is a recovery tool that is fully free of drugs.
For bodies that are pushed to their absolute limits, sometimes the oldest tools can be the safest tools.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.