This 2017 hamstring acupuncture research describes acupuncture’s effectiveness in quickly, safely, and effectively resolving hamstring injuries.
Abstract: Hamstring Acupuncture Research
The most common muscle to be injured in the hamstring muscle group is the biceps femoris. Most athletes, regardless of age or sport, experience hamstring strain. Chinese medicine sees the body as an energetic collection of functions instead of a system of isolated mechanical parts. Specifically, our body contains Life Energy, which we call Qi (pronounced Chee). An injury in the body disrupts the natural circulation of Qi, causing stagnation, which we experience as pain.
This research focused on hamstring strain, which occurs near the body’s surface, on the muscle and tendon level. We call this Qi and blood stagnation in the channels and collaterals. Other injuries deeper in the body may affect Qi flow at the organ level, but that discussion is for another day. The primary purpose of this hamstring acupuncture research was to demonstrate acupuncture’s positive results and benefits. The research included eight professional athletes, male and female, in different sports, with ages ranging from 17 to 55, all with symptoms of biceps femoris pain. All of the participants received a 30-minute session of acupuncture, and all but one needed just a single treatment to achieve positive results.
Introduction: Understanding Hamstring Injuries
Hamstring injuries are all too common for athletes engaged in sports activities that require running with fast acceleration and deceleration. The hamstring consists of three muscles: the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris. Furthermore, hamstring injuries are rated on a scale from 1 to 3. A grade 1 injury includes minor swelling, stiffness, pain, and slight tearing, but the injured patient can still walk. In a grade 2 injury, the muscles have more significant tears, causing difficulty straightening the knee. Finally, a grade 3 injury reflects a complete tearing of the muscle.
Common symptoms of hamstring injuries include:
- Tightness
- Tenderness in the buttocks
- Swelling
- Muscle spasms
- Bruises (with more significant injury)
Western Medicine Treatment for Hamstring Injury
Typical Western medical treatment involves RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation). However, several research studies performed in the past decade conclude that ice is not the best treatment for hamstring pain. Physical therapy is a big advocate of using ice on muscle injuries. Alternatively, Chinese medicine rarely prescribes ice, preferring heat to increase blood circulation. While Western treatments try to minimize swelling, Chinese medicine accepts the inflammatory response as a part of the healing process.
Patients who receive acupuncture for their hamstring injuries can significantly accelerate their recovery rate. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) utilizes a system of energy meridians to heal injured muscles. For example, an injury will block the flow of Qi in the meridians, causing pain and slowing the healing process. Acupuncture re-opens the meridians in the back of the legs, promoting healing through increased blood circulation, and significantly reducing pain.
Hamstring Research Participants
Eight patients participated in the study, all athletes with hamstring injuries. Two were female, and six were male, ranging from 17 to 55 years old. Impressively, seven of the eight needed just one treatment to overcome their pain, while one (a female handball player) needed multiple treatments to achieve relief. The handball player also had low back pain, complicating her condition. In addition, all participants received the same acupoints, including BL26, BL36, BL37, BL38, and BL56, with 30-minute needle retention.
Hamstring Treatment Results
All the athletes had similar injuries on their biceps femoris muscle, which is part of the hamstring group. The muscle strain manifested as pain and tightness in the back of the thigh. Other symptoms included:
- Tenderness under the buttock
- Swelling
- Muscle spasms
All of the participants were sports professionals:
- Three handball players (1 female, 2 male)
- Three football players (all male)
- One marathon runner (male)
- One karate blackbelt (female)
The athletes attributed their hamstring injury to different factors, including:
- Failure to warm up before training
- Poor stretching
- Performing activities involving rapid acceleration or deceleration (jumping, sprinting, etc.)
Seven participants felt significant relief after their acupuncture treatment and could return to their sport at normal exertion levels.
Acupuncture Resolves Hamstring Pain
Acupuncture is natural, non-surgical, drug-free therapy which provides immediate relief and long-lasting benefits. Specifically, the benefits of acupuncture include:
- Improved circulation, function, and mobility
- Reduced inflammation
- Stress relief
- Pain relief
- Stimulating the local healing response
- Preventing future injuries
- Enhanced athletic endurance and performance by increasing local circulation
- Improved joint mobility
- Reduced muscle stiffness
- Dispersed swelling
Acupuncture and Sports Injuries
More and more professional and recreational athletes are turning to acupuncture to address injuries and pain and optimize their performance. In addition, acupuncture works for both acute and chronic conditions. Strains and sprains of muscles, joints, and surrounding tissue are the most common injuries for athletes. Other common conditions include inflammation (tendinitis), swelling, and muscle spasms. As an alternative, or in conjunction with the RICE method, injured athletes can benefit from acupuncture to help to alleviate and ultimately resolve pain.
The human body has hundreds of acupuncture points interconnected through a network of meridians. All the acupoints chosen in this hamstring acupuncture research study resided on meridians where energy was blocked. Needling these points increased Qi and blood circulation, which, in turn, alleviated blockage, promoted healing in the muscles, and reduced pain.
Hamstring Pain and the Bladder Meridian
The hamstring muscles are located in the back of the upper leg along the Bladder meridian. Here is a summary of each point’s location and function:
- BL 26 (Guan Yuan Shu) – Located approximately 1.5 inches lateral to spine, level with L5. This point strengthens the lower back, moves the Qi and blood in the lower burner, and benefits urination. Indications include low back pain and pain in the lower back, buttock, and hamstring.
- BL 36 (Cheng Fu) – This point, located at the base of the buttock, is where the hamstring attaches to the pelvis. Applications include removing channel obstruction (Bi syndrome) and treating hemorrhoids.
- BL 37 (Yin Men) – Located on the posterior midline of the leg, approximately six inches below the base of the buttocks. It is the primary point for relieving muscle spasms in the hamstring muscles while benefiting the lumbar and sacral regions. Indications include pain in the hamstring, back, sciatica, and sacral discomfort.
- BL 38 (Fu Xi) – Located approximately one inch above the popliteal line of the knee, at the medial border of the biceps femoris. It benefits the dorsal thigh. The indication is a pain in the posterior thigh.
- Bl 56 (Cheng Ying) – This point, located approximately six inches below the popliteal line center, relaxes the muscles and tendons of the leg. Indications include leg, ankle, and foot pain and leg cramps.
Hamstring Research Conclusions
Acupuncture is a highly effective treatment for all types of sports injuries. For example, this hamstring acupuncture research evaluated eight cases of hamstring pain, concluding that seven of the eight athletes found complete relief in just one treatment.
These results line up with what we see at Raleigh Acupuncture. Most patients require three to four treatments to resolve their hamstring pain completely. The athletes in this hamstring acupuncture research study were professionals – their above-average physical health most likely aided their speedy recovery.
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Reference
Jihe Zhu, Blagica Arsovska, Kristina Kozovska. Acupuncture Treatment for Sports Injury – Hamstring Muscles Group. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medical Sciences. Vol. 3, No. 6, 2017, pp. 71-73. DOI: 10.11648/j.ijcems.20170306.11
Focus Keyphrase: hamstring acupuncture research
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I came to Raleigh Acupuncture for severe plantar fasciitis and hamstring pain. They helped me with both of them. My pain was a 10 out of 10 beforehand, and now I’m barely a 1 out of 10. The process is amazing. I don’t know how it works but I KNOW it works!