Research

Athletes in Nagano using acupuncture to cure their ills

NAGANO, Japan (AP) — Canadian speed skater Kevin Overland was in a panic. The Olympics were just over a month away, and he was nursing an injured hip and listening to a physical therapist tell him it wouldn’t heal in time.

So Overland turned to needles — and he’s going home with a bronze medal. ” I’d been in physical therapy a million and one times,” Overland said. “I knew it wouldn’t help in time, and a friend recommended acupuncture. I’ve really reacted well to it.” Overland, who finished third in the 500-meter sprint, is one of a growing number of athletes who are finding a cure for everything from pain to fatigue in the deftly twirled needles of the acupuncturist. At the Nagano Olympics, they sought out local practitioners.

As Overland underwent treatment, about a dozen doctors and researchers from around the country looked on, taking notes and asking questions. Koyama — whose office is right next door to the athletes’’ village — is offering free sessions to all athletes and officials. Just four days into the games, he had already treated about 20 foreign competitors, most for fatigue. Though still seen as a fringe treatment in much of the West, acupuncture and sports are hardly strangers.

Pittsburgh Penguins star Jaromir Jagr, who will play for the Czech Republic in Nagano, used acupuncture to get over a groin injury last season. NBA guard Muggsy Bogues used it to relieve chronic knee pain that threatened to end his career two years ago.

Because capillaries tend to open under needle treatment, he said, acupuncture improves the circulation of blood and thus can cleanse muscles of lactic acid — which produces the sensation of muscle soreness and fatigue — faster than the natural process would. He said acupuncture treatment also has been found to increase the production of endorphins, a substance produced naturally in the body that increases the feeling of happiness and well-being.
Though Western medicine is dominant, acupuncture is widely practiced in Japan. As an indication of its acceptance, it is often covered under the national health insurance plan. Speed skater Overland, who started acupuncture treatment in Calgary said he has no doubts about its effectiveness. “I came into this a bit skeptical,” he said. “But I know it works for me.” He added, however, that it might not be for everyone. “You have to be open-minded about it,” he said. “A lot of people aren’t.”

NEEDLES AND PINS: Paul Kariya, who battled post-concussion syndrome for three months, credits twice-weekly acupuncture treatments for his recovery from headaches and dizziness. “Before, I couldn’t remember the last time I felt good,” the Mighty Ducks captain said. “Now, I can’t remember the last time I felt bad.” Kariya was cross-checked in the jaw Feb. 1 by Chicago’s Gary Suter, causing him to miss the Nagano Olympics and the season’s final 28 games. “I didn’t think poking needles into me would work,” said Kariya, who began the treatments April 20. “I did it for about a month and it was great … it’s good to be looking forward to next season.”

An Olympic skier benefitting from the use of acupuncture is Steven Nyman, who specializes in downhill skiing. He placed 19th in downhill skiing at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy. In December of that year, he badly injured his back during a training run for the World Cup in Val Gardena, Italy. However, although he could barely walk, he went on to win the race. In an interview with Ski magazine not long after the 2006 injury, he stated, “I know how to win pretty much everywhere. It’s a matter of being physically capable to do that. I’ve got to fix my back before anything else happens.” He used acupuncture as part of his rehabilitation therapy after the injury. Now, of course, he is currently on the competitive ski circuit, which may hopefully culminate in a podium spot for him at the Olympics.

Another Olympic hopeful, Canadian aerial skier, Veronika Bauer, is also using acupuncture as part of her plan to be back in the game in time for Vancouver. Last season, she suffered a complex concussion after hitting her head twice in two separate events. She was ordered on 10 months of bed rest, with no chance to train. Although she only recently was able to start training in time for Vancouver, she remains hopeful as to her chances. Her recovery regime included the use of acupuncture to help combat crippling headaches.

Although most skiers are not at the level of either Nyman or Bauer, there is still a proven treatment that can do wonders for ski-related injuries. TCM is invaluable in getting athletes back on their skis and out on the slopes.

What keeps a professional athletic team playing at the top of its game? If you ask the San Francisco Giants baseball team, part of their response would include giving credit to acupuncture and Oriental medicine. As of June 15, the Giants were in second place in the National League West, only seven games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were riding a three-game winning streak, had won seven of their last 10 games, and were in serious contention for a wild-card playoff spot. SF Giants Team Acupuncturist, Ho Ogawa states, “Acupuncture is helpful for lower back pain, muscle strain on hamstrings and muscle tightness on the shoulder girdle. These are all typical injuries in baseball. I have been treating one of the team’s starting pitchers, Randy Johnson. On June 4, against the Washington Nationals, he earned his 300th win. He is the 24th pitcher to reach that goal, and the second-oldest to do so. He’s also only the sixth left-handed pitcher to have won 300 games. “

ACL Injury and Reconstruction

“Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction failed to restore normal rotational knee kinematics during dynamic, functional loading and some degradation of graft function occurred over time. These abnormal motions may contribute to long-term joint degeneration associated with ACL injury and reconstruction.”

Tashman S., et al. “Dynamic function of the ACL-reconstructed knee during running.” Clin Orthop Relat Res. (2007 Jan;454:66-73).

ACL injury treated with rehabilitation and early activity modification
Researchers say “Good functional performance and knee muscle strength can be achieved and maintained over time in the majority of patients with ACL injury treated with rehabilitation and early activity modification but without reconstructive surgery.” Am J Sports Med. (2007 Aug 1).

NIH funded acupuncture research in stroke and spinal cord injury (2007)

By Samuel C. Shiflett vom
Three small pilot research projects studying acupuncture have been conducted at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. These have been part of a broader research to study complementary and alternative therapies in the treatment of neurological disorders, including stroke, and spinal cord injury. Two studies involved treatment of pain in spinal cord injured subjects; the other involved the treatment of dysphagia in stroke patients. Data collection in all studies has been completed, and is in various stages of preparation for publication.

Acupuncture for dysphagia in stroke (Noel Nowicki, MD, and Allison Averell, MD, principal investigators). 18 stroke inpatients diagnosed with swallowing disorders using VFSS (Video fluoroscopic swallowing study) were treated with acupuncture and contrasted to 22 control patients who received only standard of care. Using a specially constructed aspiration rating scale, it was found that the acupuncture treated group was somewhat improved compared to the control group. An interaction suggested that the treatment was more effective for men than for women, who appeared to have a better natural recovery rate.

Acupuncture and Trager for wheelchair induced shoulder pain in spinal cord patients. (Trevor Dyson-Hudson, MD, principal investigator). 18 spinal cord injured individuals with shoulder pain attributable to wheelchair overuse were randomized to either acupuncture or a Trager bodywork condition. Both interventions showed substantial and roughly equal improvement in pain following a course of treatment. There was marginal evidence that suggested that acupuncture resulted in quicker resolution of pain than Trager, but that after three months the benefit of acupuncture was beginning to disappear (level of pain was increasing) while in the Trager group, pain remained at a lower level.

Acupuncture for pain and depression in spinal cord injured patients (Sangeetha Nayak, Ph.D., principal investigator) (co-funded by grant # 287 from the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers). Twenty-two people with SCI who experienced moderate to severe pain of at least 6 months duration. The intervention consisted of a course of 15 acupuncture treatments administered over a 7½-week period. Forty-six percent of the sample showed improvement in pain intensity and pain sequel following treatment. Treatment success may be related to whether the injury is complete and whether pain is above or below the level of injury. Risk of autonomic dysreflexia was monitored and found to be negligible.

Dynamic Electromyographic Response Following Acupuncture: The Possible Influence on Synergistic Coordination
Tim Hideaki Tanaka, Ph.D., et al.
(International Journal of Neuroscience,  1998)

Summary:

Thirty healthy subject’s left and right lumbar paraspinal (LP) EMG activity was recorded during a trunk flexion-return movement and the maximum integrated EMG amplitude (absolute EMG) during this movement in each side was compared. Twenty subjects showed less than 20% difference between the left and right side (symmetrical subjects-SS) and 10 subjects showed more than a 20 % difference (asymmetrical subjects AS). AS were administered acupuncture stimulation on LP muscles. Significant reduction in lumbar EMG asymmetry was observed after acupuncture stimulation (exact p=0.049). No specific pattern of response in absolute EMG values was observed in the stimulated side. On the non-stimulated side, there was a significant reduction in absolute EMG values when the baseline value for that side was high (p=0.037) and a significant increase when it was low (p=0.0185). The results suggest that acupuncture may be beneficial for decreasing functional muscular distortion and improving synergistic coordination.

Clinical Implementation: Always more than one muscle is involved when we move the joint. Many musculoskeletal disorders are related to the improper use of muscles during movement (insufficient use of one muscle and excessive use of other muscles, etc.) Proper muscle coordination is extremely important for workers and athletes to avoid physical injury and to achieve optimal performance.

In the biofeedback field, lumbar paraspinal muscle-symmetry training is a well-established treatment method for lower back pain. This was one of the first studies to show that acupuncture is not only good for pain but may generate a significant positive effect on the function of the muscles resulting in better coordination during movements.

Acupuncture Helps Knee Osteoarthritis

Improvement in Pain and Function Seen

By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Health News

Oct. 19, 2004 — Since acupuncture has been noted for pain relief, University of Maryland researchers decided to test it on people with knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, involves the breakdown of joint cartilage and affects an estimated 21 million people in the U.S., according to the American College of Rheumatology.

The study enrolled 570 people with knee osteoarthritis. The knee osteoarthritis patients were randomly assigned to receive either 23 sessions of traditional Chinese acupuncture, 23 treatments of sham acupuncture, or a 12-week knee osteoarthritis education course. In the sham acupuncture group, guide tubes were tapped at two points on the abdomen but no actual acupuncture was given.

Osteoarthritis knee pain, function and stiffness were recorded.

Participants receiving traditional Chinese acupuncture group fared best. At the end of the 26-week study, they had the greatest decrease in knee osteoarthritis pain and the biggest improvement in knee osteoarthritis function.

No serious side effects were noted in any of the groups.

Research supports TCM- in a big way!

• In a case study, (June 2003) of Medical Acupuncture, acupuncture resulted in the resolution or reduction in the frequency and severity of cluster headaches, and a decrease or discontinuation of medications. Acupuncture conclusively can be used to provide sustained relief from cluster headaches and to stimulate adrenal cortisol to aid in discontinuing corticosteroids.

Headache Magazine Study Shows Acupuncture Works for Migraines

By: Diane Joswick, L.Ac., MSOM

Acupuncture significantly reduces migraines and works better than drugs alone.

The study included 160 participants that were divided into four groups; a true acupuncture treatment according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in migraine without aura, a standard mock acupuncture protocol, an accurate mock acupuncture healing ritual, and an untreated control.

The participants in all the groups were given the medication, Rizatriptan, to treat any migraine attacks.

Over six months, only the group receiving true, traditional acupuncture showed lasting improvement in migraine disability measured on a standardized scale.  The groups using only the medication and the mock acupuncture plus Rizatriptan showed only temporary or transient improvement.

Acupuncture prevents migraine by altering nerve signals or affecting neurotransmitters released in the central nervous system. SOURCE: Headache, March 2008.

International Journal of Obesity published a review of 31 studies on the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of obesity. The systematic review was comprised of 3013 individual cases. The aim of this review was to critically assess evidence for reduction of body weight and to evaluate adverse events of acupuncture therapy based on the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluate the effect of various types of acupuncture therapies.