The Utility of Acupuncture in Sports Medicine: A Review of the Recent Literature

Abstract

Introduction: Acupuncture is a practice that has been used to treat multiple medical conditions for thousands of years and is one of the most popular alternative treatments applied in Western medical practice. Acupuncture is a modality that has signifi cant potential for further integration into the treatment of sports medicine conditions. Methodology:The search strategy in this review included electronic databases-MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews were preferred for article inclusion, but other study types were included when the number or quality of evidence was limited.Results: Back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, and knee pain related to OA tend to respond well to acupuncture treatment. There is evidence to support the use of acupuncture for the short-term treatment of plantar fasciitis, although long-term effi cacy data is lacking. Acupuncture may be a useful treatment modality for epicondylitis and Achilles tendinopathy, but the current data is limited. While acupuncture may improve athletic performance and prevent Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) symptoms, there is little current evidence to support this use. Conclusion:Further studies are needed to assess the usefulness of acupuncture in sports medicine. However, there is good evidence for the current use of acupuncture in treatment of multiple pain conditions. Review ArticleThe Utility of Acupuncture in Sports INTRODUCTIONAcupuncture is a practice that has been used to treat multiple medical conditions for thousands of years and is one of the most popular alternative treatments applied in Western medical practice. In the modern era, treating sports medicine conditions with medications can be limited by signi icant medication side-effects. Therefore, many athletes and physicians have considered the virtues of acupuncture. In some countries acupuncture is a common modality of sports medicine injuries [1]. For example, a survey of physicians regarding sports injury treatments for the Korean national volleyball teams noted that acupuncture was the most commonly utilized treatment modality and was used almost three times as often as physical therapy [1]. It has been noted that acupuncture could be an ideal treatment modality for further integration in sports medicine [2]. Although further studies are needed to assess the usefulness of acupuncture in sports medicine, there are some areas where the data is signi icant. This article will review the current evidence on acupuncture for conditions commonly seen in sports medicine and discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of the current literature in this area. METHODOLOGYThe search strategy in this review included electronic databases-MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct. The initial search included articles between 2007-2017, but when evidence was limited the search criteria was expanded. Randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews were preferred for article inclusio...