Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a treatment option that a lot of people are on the fence about. I don’t wish to sway you one way or the other, but I do want to talk about some of the benefits that I have experienced with acupuncture treatment.

When I was injured last spring, I had tried everything I could think of to release the tension and tightness in my right leg. My shin, calf, and Achilles were in a constant knot that wouldn’t ever release regardless of how much I rolled them out or got them massaged. All this tension put too much work on my FHL tendon and became the reason for my developing tendonitis that I talked about in my RICE Method post.

After weeks of pain and failed attempts at finding relief, my physical therapist recommended trying acupuncture. Initially, I was terrified. (Needles in my legs? No thanks!) But after talking to many other dancers, I was convinced to try it out hoping it would grant me the much needed muscle release. After one treatment, I felt more relief than I had in months and could finally walk down stairs without any pain. It was amazing! I went to a few more appointments throughout the rest of the season and was able to make it through all of the performances! So with the help New York State licensed Acupuncturist Erika Weber, I've put together a little bit of information about acupuncture in case you want to try it out too:

• Acupuncture grants relief from muscle tension and speeds up healing time for injuries or surgeries, because it reduces inflammation and brings more blood flow to the targeted area. 
• The needles target specific points in the body that ease pain and tension, and by using this trigger point approach, your muscles will release any built up tension. Plus, it feels pretty cool when the needle makes your muscle twitches and release. Don’t worry; it doesn’t hurt though! 
• Acupuncture can also calm you and reduce mental stress, which is something we dancers definitely carry around!
• It can be used for almost any injury: neck, shoulder, back, ankles, knees, hips, tendons, muscles, ligaments, chronic or acute. Also, acupuncture can be used post surgery to help you get back on your feet faster.
• You don’t need to be seriously injured to use acupuncture and receive its benefits. Chronic tightness or stiffness can be released and muscles can be gently relaxed with acupuncture so that you can prevent injury and can keep working at your healthiest.
• Sometimes you just need one or two treatments to get that initial release and pain relief, but regular appointments will only benefit your body and keep everything working smoothly. 

I fully support trying acupuncture if other treatment options haven’t given you any relief. As long as you go to a licensed acupuncturist, you will be in safe hands, but even better if your acupuncturist is used to working with athletes or dancers. Just be sure to take a nice long Epsom salt bath after because you will be sore due to all the toxins and tension being released!