Iron Man's and Acupuncture...

    Recently I have had the opportunity to work on one of my husband's friends the day after finishing his second Iron Man. Mark is one of those people you look at and just know that they are an athlete, and completing one Iron Man would have proved that, completing two… now that’s just showing off! 
    But this post isn’t about how jealous I am of Mark, especially since I am tired after a one mile run, this is about what happens to your body after a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bicycle ride, and a marathon 26.22 mile run, and how acupuncture can help. While most of us won’t complete and Iron Man in our life time, many of us run marathons or push our bodies to extremes, even though it is all in the name of fitness it can take a toll on our bodies.
    After a triathlon such as the Iron Man the body needs recovery, the muscles and ligaments are severely traumatized, and are filled with swelling and inflammation. Inflammation and swelling are a normal response to trauma, and it isn’t always a bad thing, after all inflammation is what protects our bodies, but after a race this the inflammation and swelling makes it harder for the body to start its recovery process.
    This is where acupuncture comes in! On it’s own this fluid build up takes about 3 days to move into the blood stream where it can then be excreted out of the body. This means that after a race slight weight gain and increase urination is very common for the days following. With all that being said it is important for the acupuncture treatments or other body work following a race to be gentle. The focus of the treatment should be on increasing blood flow and helping to decrease any muscle spasms.
    Acupuncture immediately after a race as Mark did it, helps to decrease the healing period and reduce the swelling and inflammation quicker. In the weeks following, the treatments can start to change from the gentle restorative type into correcting any mechanical issues that can come with putting that much stress and strain on the muscles and ligaments of the body.

For more information on what Acupuncture can do for your bodies specific needs please feel free to contact me at [email protected]!