Sports Acupuncture

Regular training, repetitive movements and demanding jobs can put stress on muscles, tendons and joints. Discomfort may develop gradually or follow a specific injury, affecting how comfortably you move, exercise or get through your working day. Sports acupuncture offers an individual approach to assessing and treating these musculoskeletal concerns.

Sports acupuncture isn’t just for competitive athletes. It can also be considered by gym-goers, tradespeople and anyone whose daily activities place ongoing demands on their body. At Altona Acupuncture, your sports acupuncture appointment includes an assessment of your symptoms and the movements involved to guide your treatment.

Common Symptoms

People seeking sports acupuncture may experience:

Muscle tightness or tenderness after exercise or physical tasks.
Persistent aching around the shoulders, back, hips or legs.
Joint stiffness that makes movement uncomfortable.
Localised pain with lifting, gripping, reaching or twisting.
Recurring discomfort that flares with particular activities.
Reduced movement, such as difficulty turning the neck or raising an arm.
Soreness that continues between workouts or workdays.

During your sports acupuncture consultation, we assess the location and pattern of your symptoms to help determine whether treatment is appropriate.

To read more about how sports acupuncture can help you click here

How Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Help

Sports acupuncture at our Altona clinic combines point selection based on Chinese medicine with an anatomical approach to the muscles involved. Fine, single-use needles may be placed at local trigger points and at selected points along the relevant meridians, including sites away from the painful area.

Depending on your presentation, treatment may also include cupping to apply suction over muscular areas, gua sha using a smooth tool across the skin, or moxa to provide warmth near selected points.

The combination of techniques and intensity of sports acupuncture are adjusted to your comfort, with your response guiding subsequent appointments.

Who Is This Treatment Suitable For?

Sports acupuncture may be considered by people experiencing discomfort linked to exercise, repeated tasks or physically demanding work. You don’t need to play sport or train regularly to discuss this treatment with us.

Suitability depends on the nature of your symptoms, your medical history and any other care you’re receiving. We also consider medications, recent surgery and existing health conditions before recommending an approach.

If you’re already working with a physiotherapist, osteopath or GP, sports acupuncture may be considered alongside that care.

What to Expect from Treatment

At your first visit, we’ll ask when the discomfort started, what makes it better or worse, and how it affects your day. We may check your movement and gently examine the area before explaining the proposed treatment and answering your questions.

You’ll be positioned comfortably, with only the areas being treated exposed. Let us know how you’re feeling throughout the appointment so we can adjust treatment to your comfort.

After your sports acupuncture treatment, we’ll discuss aftercare and how to monitor your response. Any follow-up appointments will be guided by changes in your symptoms and movement, rather than a fixed number of visits.

Evidence and Research

Sports Acupuncture: What the Research Says

Research relevant to sports acupuncture has reported encouraging findings for persistent pain, post-exercise soreness and targeted muscle needling.

Acupuncture for persistent pain

A large review of 39 clinical trials involving 20,827 people found that acupuncture improved pain outcomes in conditions including back, neck and shoulder pain. Benefits were greater than both no acupuncture and sham acupuncture, with smaller differences against sham treatment. These findings support acupuncture as an option for managing several persistent pain conditions.

Vickers et al. (2018) — Read the research

Acupuncture for post-exercise soreness

A review of six randomised controlled trials found that acupuncture reduced muscle soreness after strenuous exercise compared with control groups. The findings suggest a potential role for acupuncture in managing post-exercise soreness, with further high-quality research needed to confirm the extent of benefit.

Huang et al. (2020) — Read the research

Targeted needling for muscle pain

An overview of 36 systematic reviews found that dry needling offered short-term pain relief for a range of musculoskeletal conditions, with better results than sham treatment or no treatment. This supports the targeted muscle needling component that may be included in sports acupuncture. Outcomes were generally comparable with other physical therapies.

Chys et al. (2023) — Read the research

Why Choose Us

We take the time to understand what your body needs to do each day, whether that’s lifting on a worksite, training at the gym or keeping up with a busy household. Your treatment is planned around your symptoms, with room to adjust as things change.

Our approach to sports acupuncture draws on both traditional Chinese medicine and targeted muscle needling. We explain the options clearly, welcome your questions and keep you involved in decisions about your care.

Located in Harrington Square, next to Westona station, our clinic is easy to reach for Altona locals and surrounding communities.