Acupuncture & Recovery
Have you ever tried acupuncture or do you even really know how it works? I had never had acupuncture and never imagined it would become part of my wellness routine. I used to think of acupuncture like a scene from a medical horror show where people were stabbing huge gauge needles into your body and you were in pain the entire time. The more I talk with people about acupuncture the more I realize how close minded people are when it comes to alternative medicine. The funny thing is that I used to be just like them. I had no idea how vast the world of medicine and healing was until I took off my blinders.
Recently when Clay and I were moving I threw my back out. Keep in mind I am not the buffest tool in the shed, so that accompanied with poor lifting form it was inevitable that something would happen. I woke up the next morning hunched over in C shape barely able to walk. After practically crawling to work my rockstar boss who also happens to be one of Portland’s top acupuncturists said to me, “You look terrible.” She then had me do a session of trigger point acupuncture with her.
No, it did not feel like the scene out of a medical horror film that I had pictured.
After two trigger point sessions with her my back was basically back to normal. She gave me insight about what areas of my back were weak and gave me a list of safe, easy lifts to do to strengthen them, so that I could avoid future injury. Clay is familiar with acupuncture because he had participated in it frequently to avoid injury and aid in recovery. When I told him my experience he wasn’t surprised at all because he had seen first hand how effective it was for him.
Acupuncture is so unique. It not only helps aid in injury repair, but it is works as a preventative measure as well. When your muscles are tight it puts you at a higher risk for getting injured. What most people don’t realize is that when you do get injured, releasing the tension in your tight muscles can often lead to a faster recovery. Acupuncture works by getting deep into the muscles, breaking up the scar tissue, and promoting blood circulation back to the tissues. This method of treatment differs from physical therapy by literally forcing the muscle to relax and instantly seeing the results.
When I injured my back I had the tightest shoulders ever. As my queen bee goddess boss stuck an acupuncture needle into the small muscles of my neck I could literally feel them involuntarily twitch and then relax. Not going to lie it was freaky at first, but felt amazing after! If you are thinking about trying acupuncture, do it. If you’re scared of needles, don’t be, they are tiny and you don’t even feel them go in. If you are a hater of alternative medicine then keep popping your ibuprofen and see how quickly it actually helps with long term recovery and injury prevention. Odds are you won’t have great results.
Try out acupuncture for yourself and see if it helps. I love when I do a post and I get flooded with feedback from people! So keep me posted on your experiences with acupuncture the good, the bad, and everything in between.
.
.
.
For those of you who are wondering, no I did not get the picture of an acupuncture needle off of the internet. I TOOK IT and to see more like it check out @acunorthwest on Instagram.