For some, seeing Michael Phelps and other swimmers on the starting blocks this week with the distinctive circular bruises left by cupping may have been their first exposure to this alternative health practice. However cupping in one form or the other has been in practice for thousands of years, and there are references in ancient Egyptian, Greek, Chinese and Persian texts regarding this technique. In honor of the Rio Olympics today’s post will examine another ancient health practice, acupuncture, specifically the use of acupuncture to enhance  both exercise performance, as well as post-exercise recovery.

Australian researchers reviewed data from four different acupuncture studies, three of which looked at its effect on exercise performance, while one study examined the effect of acupuncture on post-exercise recovery. There were 84 total participants in the four studies, both men and women. As the design of each study was varied (such as different treatment protocols, different outcome measures, different placebo controls, etc.) the Australian researchers did not pool the data from the four studies but instead examined each study on its own merits. One thing all four studies did have in common was the use of a cycle ergometer as the exercise method.

The Australian research group noted that one study (Li et al.) showed significantly increased peak power output in the acupuncture group versus the control group. On the other hand two studies (Dhillon et al. and Karvelas et al.) did not show benefit.

Also, in the  study that examined post-exercise recovery (Lin et al.) it was demonstrated that acupuncture needles inserted prior to exercise significantly lowers the blood lactate level sixty minutes after exercise.

Taken in whole the four studies show some possible benefits for acupuncture treatment, both for exercise performance as well as post-exercise recovery. What are now needed are additional well designed studies with larger numbers of participants to determine if these treatment effects are real. Acupuncture is a generally well tolerated treatment modality with a good safety profile, and may offer benefits to athletes and those that exercise.

(Source- The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Volume 19, Number 1, 2013).

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.