Sports injuries

Sport and exercise are important for health, but they also carry a risk of injury. An awkward movement, a sudden overload or, conversely, months of repeated strain can lead to pain, stiffness and limitations during sport or in daily activities.

Many sports injuries recover on their own with rest and a gradual build-up of the load. Sometimes, however, recovery takes longer than expected, or the complaints keep returning as soon as sport is resumed. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can then be a valuable addition to the recovery process.

What are sports injuries?

A sports injury is damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints or other body structures that arises during or after physical exertion. Both recreational and competitive athletes can be affected, regardless of the sport they practise.

A distinction is often made between acute injuries and overuse injuries.

Acute injuries

Acute injuries arise suddenly, for example due to an awkward movement, a fall or a collision. Examples are:

sprains;
muscle strains or muscle tears;
bruises;
ligament injuries.

Overuse injuries

Overuse injuries arise gradually because the body is not given enough time to recover between training sessions or other physical strain. Common examples are:

tennis elbow;
golfer's elbow;
Achilles tendon complaints;
heel spur;
runner's knee;
shin splints;
shoulder complaints;
hamstring injuries;
groin injuries.

Possible causes

Sports injuries usually arise because the load becomes greater than what the body can handle at that moment. Both the training load and the capacity for recovery play a role in this. Factors that can increase the risk of an injury include:

a sudden awkward movement;
too rapid a build-up of training load;
repeated or one-sided strain;
insufficient recovery between training sessions;
less than optimal technique;
insufficient muscle strength or mobility;
previous injuries.

Prolonged stress, reduced fitness, illness or poor sleep can also slow recovery and increase the chance of injuries.

What can acupuncture do for sports injuries?

Acupuncture is regularly used as a complement to the treatment of both acute and long-standing sports injuries. The treatment is aimed at supporting and regulating bodily functions, and is tailored to your complaints, the severity of the injury and the phase of recovery. Over the course of the treatment, the treatment plan can be adjusted as recovery progresses.

Depending on the situation, a treatment can be aimed at:

reducing pain;
improving mobility;
reducing muscle tension;
supporting a gradual return to sport;
helping to prevent recurring complaints.

Acupuncture can be combined well with, for example, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, strength training, manual therapy or a rehabilitation programme.

What can Chinese herbal medicine do?

Chinese herbs are often used as a complement to acupuncture. Where acupuncture offers support during the treatments, herbs can support the body daily in between treatments. The herbal formula is tailored to your personal situation and can be adjusted over the course of recovery.

Depending on the nature of the injury, Chinese herbs can be used to:

support the recovery of muscles, tendons and joints from within;
build up the overall resilience of the body;
support the body with long-standing overuse complaints;
strengthen resistance to cold and damp in the case of weather-sensitive complaints.

How does Chinese medicine view sports injuries?

In Western medicine the emphasis is mainly on the damaged structure, such as a tendon, muscle or joint. Chinese medicine, in addition, looks at why recovery runs smoothly in one person, while another has long-standing complaints or keeps getting injured again.

With sports injuries the emphasis is less on organ systems than with many other complaints. The focus is mainly on the flow of Qi and Blood in the affected muscles, tendons and meridians, and on factors that influence the body's capacity for recovery.

When the body recovers insufficiently or certain bodily functions become out of balance, a recognisable combination of complaints often arises. Such a combination of symptoms is called a pattern in Chinese medicine. As a result, two people with the same sports injury can nevertheless receive a different treatment. The patterns that occur most often with sports injuries are:

Reduced circulation after an injury (Qi and Blood stagnation)

This pattern often arises immediately after an acute injury. The damage causes a locally reduced circulation, which can lead to pain and swelling.

Common features are:

sharp or stabbing pain;
swelling or blue discolouration;
pain in a clear, delineated location;
restricted movement.

Sensitivity to cold and damp (Wind-Cold-Damp Bi)

With long-standing joint or tendon complaints, external factors such as cold and damp can play a role. People with this pattern often notice that their complaints clearly respond to the weather.

Common features are:

stiff joints;
pain that worsens in cold or damp weather;
improvement with warmth or gentle movement.

Reduced capacity for recovery (Qi and Blood deficiency)

When injuries keep returning or recovery is strikingly slow, according to Chinese medicine there may be a reduced resilience of the body, causing muscles, tendons and joints to become more sensitive to overuse. With long-standing or degenerative complaints, a reduced function of the Kidneys can also play a role in this.

Depending on the person, this can go together with, for example:

prolonged fatigue;
a slow recovery after exertion;
reduced muscle strength;
recurring injuries.

Prognosis

How quickly a sports injury recovers depends, among other things, on:

the severity of the injury;
how long the complaints have already existed;
your age and general health;
the load during work and sport;
the extent to which the body can recover sufficiently.

For acute injuries, one to two treatments per week are often advised at the start. As recovery progresses, the frequency can usually be reduced. Chronic overuse injuries often require a longer course of treatment, in which, in addition to the local complaint, attention is also paid to improving the resilience of the body.

Contact a doctor when you cannot put any weight on an arm or leg, a joint clearly feels unstable, there is significant swelling or a deformity, or when loss of sensation or loss of strength develops.

Contact

Do you suffer from a sports injury and would you like to know whether acupuncture can mean something for you? During a first consultation we discuss your complaints, medical history, sporting load and any underlying factors in detail. On that basis a treatment plan is drawn up that suits your situation. You can book an appointment online right away or get in touch for more information.

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