Acupuncture and Sports Medicine

Please click here for an excellent article from Runner's World magazine on using acupuncture to enhance recovery and performance in athletes.  The author interviews a couple of practitioners who explain how acu helps from a musculoskeletal and physiological perspective, and also touches upon how it can help a person address constitutional challenges to achieve their greatest potential as a whole.

In clinic, I love working with athletes as they often have quick and marked improvements with flexibility, pain, and performance within a few acupuncture treatments.  I've seen it work wonders to help prepare for events, as well as in recovery from acute or chronic injury.  During treatment course, we often discover energy, digestive, or endocrine imbalances that also might be contributing to the issue, and when supported with acupuncture and herbal medicine, further enhances performance.

Please feel free to contact us to schedule a treatment or consultation any time.

Acupuncture in the Emergency Room

If you've ever had an unfortunate experience that has landed you in the ER, you know it can be a miserable place.  Waiting in agony, nervous, and stressed from an acute event...  Hard working hospital staff working their best to serve but under pressure...  The great news is that acupuncture is showing promise to help in this environment, especially in alleviating anxiety and pain.  

Acupuncture is a natural fit.  It's safe, noninvasive, has very few side-effects, and much power in soothing anxiety, moderating emotions, and reducing pain until a patient can receive standard medical care.  It has the potential to create a calmer environment for both people in an acute health situation, as well as those trying to serve them.  Please click here to read an interesting preliminary study on acupuncture services in the emergency room.  The study shows a marked reduction in pain and anxiety among patients comparable to administration of analgesic medications.

More evidence spotted: The Portland Trail Blazers are using cupping to enhance their game.

...get it?  ..."spotted"  ;)

While watching the Blazers win against the New York Knicks last Sunday night, a fellow acupuncturist friend and I found ourselves cheering for even more than Blake’s smooth alley-oop to Lillard and every time Wes Matthews hit one of those glorious threes.  As fans of Chinese Medicine as well, an equally exciting moment was to spot the evidence of cupping on Chris Kaman’s shoulder!  Check out the following screen shot...you can see them peeking out around the edge of his jersey.  

And I have to say, judging by the symmetry, location, and depth of sha and coloring, their sports medicine person is doing excellent work.  The Blazers' use of this therapy was also featured in an article in Oregon Live recently.  Based on their great record this season, I’d also have to speculate that rounding out their injury prevention and care with therapies such as these is contributing to their strength and performance as a winning team.

So what is cupping, exactly?

For injury recovery and prevention, cupping is a therapy that enhances blood flow, loosens and relaxes tight soft tissue structures, reduces pain, and increases range of motion to treated areas of the body.  It utilizes small cups, similar to glass jars, which are warmed and gently placed on the skin.  When they immediately cool, they create a vacuum and provide a gentle but powerful traction to the skin and soft tissue beneath it, which provides a sustained stretch to the fascia and muscles and enhances renewed blood flow to the area being treated.  It is excellent for helping remove the stagnancy and tissue restriction that contributes to pain, inflammation, and limited range of motion.  My clients often describe cupping treatment as deeply relaxing, and it is often requested to be added after their acupuncture treatments.  In clinic, I’ve witnessed it restore people particularly well with low back, neck, or shoulder pain, and see great results following as little as one or two treatments.

Cupping is often combined with acupuncture, but can be used as a stand-alone treatment for those who would prefer.  Its uses are not limited to treating only musculoskeletal injury, but is also used effectively for concerns such as asthma, allergies, acute respiratory infections, digestive concerns, and insomnia.  For more, please call 503-288-7668 to schedule a treatment or complimentary consult, or contact me anytime: jon.conant@gmail.com. Looking forward to seeing you.

....and in case you missed that sweet alley-oop, click here.

Peace, Jon