CFG is very excited to announce that Alex Brazinski, L.Ac., RYT, FRCms, FR, will be doing acupuncture treatment sessions at CFG starting in November! Alex works for Philadelphia Sports Acupuncture and is looking forward to offering his services here. For those of you interested, here are a few things from Alex about acupuncture and how it can help you in the gym.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a form of physical medicine that utilizes specific points to resolve pain, improve circulation, reduce stress, regulate sleep, as well as a myriad of other benefits.
What is Sports Acupuncture?
As someone who practices Sports Acupuncture, my goal is to utilize modalities such as acupuncture, electrical stimulation, cupping, gua-sha (Graston is a western comparison to this), and manual techniques in order to resolve pain, manage stress, and improve recovery time. All of these can help optimize your performance.
What makes Sports Acupuncture more effective than other manual techniques?
Sports Acupuncture focuses on three particular systems of the body: musculoskeletal, nervous, and immune/endocrine.
For Musculoskeletal problems, acupuncture isolates specific muscle fibers that have trigger points that need to be released. Lacrosse balls and foam rollers can be beneficial, but usually only provide a superficial level benefit, and if done improperly, can cause more problems. Trigger point acupuncture can be especially effective at releasing deep muscle fibers. Acupuncture has the unique ability to thread into the difficult to reach spaces around tendons or joints that are painful. Stimulating those areas speeds up the healing process at a faster rate. Tendon/joint/ligament issues are harder to treat through manual techniques.
When a needle is inserted, the body stimulates the immune/endocrine and cardiovascular system to flush the area with oxygen, blood, and healing properties that it would not do on its own. Basically, the needle is calling attention to an area of the body in need that may go unnoticed. The body then flushes the area with fresh nutrients in order to heal. Doing so cuts down recovery time. You can think of it as a detailed dose of ibuprofen/Aleve to a very specific spot.
Acupuncture is very effective at manipulating the nervous system to enhance recovery and prime your body for your next workout. When receiving acupuncture, the body releases serotonin, dopamine, and other “feel good” chemicals that relax the body. This is a very important part of recovery and helps muscle growth. As far as optimizing performance, particular acupuncture points are located near nerve innervations of the muscle. By stimulating those points, the muscle releases any unnecessary tension that wastes energy. This increases the muscle’s endurance and ROM. Stimulating these points also allow the muscles to contract stronger and at a much faster rate.
What is Cupping?
Cupping Therapy has gained popularity lately due to its success in aiding Michael Phelps at the Olympics.
Cupping is intended to create therapeutic bruising known as petechiae and ecchymosis in the dermis layer of the skin. Doing so removes waste products from the muscle layer and flushes the area with nutrients. By improving the blood and lymphatic circulation, athlete’s sensation of DOMS may decrease and recovery time increases.
Cupping also increases ROM by stimulating and influencing the connective tissue layer. The negative pressure created by cupping stimulates the fascia, influencing it to stretch and glide across one another. In a sense, cupping “unglues” stuck connective tissue allowing for full ROM.
What about the needles?
This is a question we get often so I figured I’d clarify for those who may be concerned. Acupuncture needles are not hypodermic needles that are intended to cut the skin and muscle tissues. They are the diameter of about three human hairs. They are not hollow, yet they are very flexible. They come in sterilized packets, never used twice, and are disposed of in a sharps container. The sensation is nothing like a vaccine shot. If you are still reserved about needles, your can still sign-up. I will be happy to provide cupping and other manual techniques to resolve your pain without the acupuncture.
What kind of results can Sports Acupuncture, cupping, and other treatment styles provide for athletes?
– Alleviation of Sports Injuries/Musculoskeletal Pain
– Improved Recovery Time
– Increased ROM
– Enhanced Muscle Activation and Contraction
– Stress Management
When will this be? What is the cost? Where can I sign up?
Alex will be treating every first Saturday of the month from 7am-12pm, starting November 5th. Barry and Jocelyn will be sending out an email the week of as a reminder and contact info about scheduling. The cost for an hour long session is $60.
Thanks, everyone! Hope to see you soon!
