After a temperate winter, spring is here and our bodies are beginning to thaw out from a season of hearty and heavy food and indoor fitness. If you’re taking your inaugural steps from running indoors on a treadmill to hitting the pavement outdoors, this transition can cause both acute and chronic pain and cause common running injuries such as shin splints, Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, and sciatica. For pain management and recovery, acupuncture treats common running injuries beautifully.
If you’re dealing with chronic or acute pain related to running or are interested in acupuncture in treating other issues such as hormonal balancing or fertility concerns, work with us at Lee Acupuncture to experience Chinese Medicine at its finest! Work with our health practitioners to incorporate different modalities, including functional medicine.
How Acupuncture Can Help Common Running Injuries
If you’re gearing up for your next race such as the OC Marathon in early May and are finding yourself running outside more while simultaneously increasing your speed and mileage, sometimes it can be difficult for our bodies to adjust in a short amount of time causing conditions such as Plantar Fasciitis, sciatica, sore and strained muscles, Achilles Tendonitis, and shin splints. These issues can not only put a damper in our training but they can be extremely painful and hard to treat efficiently.
Acupuncture can treat ongoing running injuries by assisting in muscle fiber mobility, releasing tight and irritated muscles and tendons, and increasing blood flow to the injured site to help the body repair itself.
In Plantar Fasciitis, the tendon in the arch of your foot is inflamed, coupled with heel pain when walking or running. Acupuncture treats this conditions beautifully by allowing the needles to initiate the body’s healing process paired with specific Chinese herbs to calm inflammation and exercises to further address the achy tendon.
If you’re dealing with Sciatica in your glute, your piriformis is likely weak or tight. Needling the piriformis can release and relax it, which in turn takes the pressure off your sciatic nerve causing the pain to subside. Addressing other points along the lower back and hips can also help treat it.
Achilles tendonitis is another common running condition that acupuncture can support. If you’re experiencing tightness and pain between your calf and heel, releasing the muscles surrounding it can bring much-needed relief to the back of the leg.
Shin splints can be both dull and achy as well as a sharp pain in the shin area that runner’s experience while running, walking, or even going up or downstairs. Those who increase mileage dramatically are more prone to get shin splints, and rest and recovery are really the only cure. Acupuncture can help bring down swelling and inflammation and assist the body in healing the affected area.
To overcome running-related injuries, the best practice is always taking preventative measures. Ease into your season by slowing increasing your mileage and speed — and always give your body time to recover — so taking off days or days away from running is crucial.
For both preventative and recovery acupuncture for common running injuries such as Plantar Fasciitis, Sciatica, Achilles Tendonitis, and shin splints schedule an appointment at our acupuncture clinic.