Traditional Chinese medicine is starting to become common practice in the world of treating sports injuries in Australia. As athletes become faster, stronger, and more competitive, the risk of injury has increased as well. Because of this, Chinese medicinal practices are being adopted in favor of surgeries and other treatment methods. One of the most common injuries Australians face is sports hernia, and it can negatively impact an athlete’s performance or even end their career.
Before we discuss the practice of Chinese medicine, it’s important to discuss what sports hernia is so we can get a good idea on how to properly treat it.
What is a sports hernia?
A sports hernia is an injury that occurs mainly in the groin area. This is caused by a sudden change of direction brought about by athletic movement in sports. Athletes that play sports like rugby, soccer, football, etc. are prone to this injury due to the extreme twisting movements their bodies are subjected to. It is commonly referred to as “athletic pubalgia.” A sports hernia is different from an actual hernia because the former is the straining of ligaments and muscle tendons and the latter is caused by an organ pushing through an opening in a tissue that keeps it in place.
How Chinese medicine impacts injury treatment in sports
Alternative medicine practices like acupuncture, cupping therapy, and the use of herbal medicine are what the Chinese use to heal injuries like a sports hernia. Because of the inherent risks associated with open surgery, more and more practitioners are opting to use Chinese medicine, and they have achieved amazing results.
The use of Chinese medicine dates back thousands of years and is mainly focused on using natural methods and remedies to reduce inflammation, heal tissue damage, and promote healing on bone, joint, and soft tissue injuries.
Herbal medicine to speed up bone recovery
Herbal medicine has been widely adopted in treating bone injuries like fractures, tendon tears, and post-surgery tissue regeneration. The main goal of herbal medicine is to facilitate the recovery and rehabilitation of your bones through physiotherapy. It’s usually combined with acupuncture to treat fractured bones without even having to touch the injury. By using herbal medicines, athletes can recover from sports injuries quickly and prevent muscle wastage by rebuilding damaged tendons.
Acupuncture for pain relief
Because of the rigorous activities athletes participate in, pain is often a result after playing sports. Acupuncture is a great way to treat soft tissue that’s inflamed, and it does that by treating the pain from a specific body part away from the affected area. This helps relieve pain and swelling immediately. Many athletes schedule an acupuncture session to treat conditions such as muscle sprains, tendonitis, bruising, and other ligament injuries. Acupuncture also offers relief from chronic pain caused by a muscle strain.
Cupping Therapy to promote blood flow and relaxation
Another Chinese medicine that’s taking the world by storm is cupping therapy. It’s an ancient form of alternative medicine that is used by practitioners to keep professional athletes in top competition. This practice was most notably used at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics where swimmers were seen having circular red marks on their bodies due to cupping therapy.
Cupping therapy is done by placing small suction cups to different areas of your body. This process helps promote blood flow that drains waste products from your muscle tissue, helping you to recover faster with shoulder, neck, and back pain. Practitioners use cupping therapy to treat physical pain in athletes, heal deep scar tissues in the muscles, and provide them with a relaxing sensation to help them achieve peak performance.
Injuries are a part of sports, and many professional athletes suffer from different types of body pain because of the intensity of the sport they participate in. The introduction of Chinese medicine in treating injuries such as a sports hernia has proven to be very effective. Many athletes are now favoring alternative medicinal healing to recover from their injuries because of the low risk of side effects.
If you love participating in sports, utilizing Chinese healing methods will help keep you in the great physical condition and help you perform at your absolute best.
