What are the most common sports injuries?
Though high-impact sports pose the highest risk of a sudden, traumatic sports injury, anyone who stays active can suffer the same problems. Dr. Travall treats all of the most common sports injuries, including:
- Sprained ankle
- ACL tear
- Meniscus tear
- Joint dislocation
- Rotator cuff tear
- Achilles tendonitis
- Shin splints
- Runner’s knee
- Lower back strain
- Ligament and tendon tears
You may suffer a direct blow, like getting tackled or falling off a skateboard, or end up with an injury after making sudden movements such as pivoting or stopping while running. Sports injuries also develop from repetitive movements that slowly damage your muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
What symptoms develop after a sports injury?
Sports injuries cause symptoms such as:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Difficulty moving
- Joint instability
- Muscle weakness
- Tingling (pins-and-needles sensation)
- Numbness (loss of feeling)
- Inability to bear weight on the affected limb
If your symptoms are severe or don’t improve in a few days, it’s important to have your injury evaluated by an orthopedic specialist. Injured tissues only get worse if you keep using them.
How does acupuncture treat sports injuries?
Acupuncture is a time-tested approach that can target the localized injury, as well as body-wide symptoms. As a specialist in sports medicine and orthopedic acupuncture, Dr. Travall combines traditional acupuncture points with a Western approach based on motor points.
Motor points are determined by the anatomy of your nervous system and areas where nerves intersect with muscles. When Dr. Travall inserts acupuncture needles into acupuncture points and motor points, the needles activate biological responses in your body.
Acupuncture effectively:
- Boosts circulation (accelerates healing)
- Releases endorphins (relieves pain)
- Relaxes muscles
- Restores nerve function
- Reduces inflammation
- Increases neurotransmitter levels
- Balances hormones
Acupuncture improves levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin that regulate mood, muscle movement, stress, and pain.
With regular acupuncture treatments, the positive changes in biochemicals, muscles, nerves, and hormones help to prevent sports injuries and enhance your performance.
How does dry needling relieve pain?
Dry needling uses acupuncture needles to treat trigger points. Trigger points occur when the muscles contract and fail to relax. In addition to causing a painful, tight lump in the muscles, trigger points also pinch nearby nerves and blood vessels.
Trigger points often occur due to repetitive muscle movements, lifting heavy weights, a direct injury, or tense muscles. Dr. Travall inserts the needle into the trigger point, which quickly relaxes the muscle and restores normal circulation and nerve activity.
If you need treatment for a sports injury, call Dr. Travall’s Acupuncture or book an appointment online today.
