Here’s a little sports injuries promotional video I have put together as part of a series of educational posts I want to do with regards to sports injuries and how acupuncture works in this regard. I hope you enjoy. Basically I am attempting to summarise as concisely as possible what acupuncture can do for injuries, pain, inflammation and the healing process. I also found some funky music from one of my favourite windsurfing movie editors. The music is “Body Language/Interpretation” by Booka Shade. Well worth purchasing if you like it.) As I mentioned in more detail earlier it is well documented that acupuncture reduces both pain and inflammation. Removing these allows two main things to happen. Reduction in pain will make you feel better and relax more. This releases your happy hormones (serotonin, endorphins) and allows you to be in a physiological where where healing occurs. This is governed by the parasympathetic nervous system. Secondly, shifting inflammations and any stagnant fluids makes way for much needed nutrient rich blood to carry the necessary ingredients to the injured area. On top of this, the stimulation by the needles local to the injured area encourages the body to send energy where it is needed. What sets fully trained acupuncturists apart from ‘medical acupuncture’ or ‘dry needling’ performed by physiotherapists is that we understand the wider implications and interconnectedness of the body through the meridian system. We treat the body as a whole and not only the injured area. Most of us have underlying imbalances that may in some cases be contributing to a sports injury especially if it is a chronic or repetitive injury showing a weakness in that area. A fully trained acupuncturist can recognise these ‘patterns of disharmony’ through differential diagnosis and boost the local injury treatment with acupuncture to redress theses imbalances, reduce stress, increase wellbeing and boost energy. These things combined will add up towards a more effective and efficient healing process for your body.