Cycling For Health!

Whether you ride your bike to school or work, ride on the weekends or train daily for the many cycling events that are scheduled throughout the Bay Area, cycling has many benefits for health and wellbeing.

Increased injuries are also associated with cycling’s growing popularity. Many injuries can be prevented and Mark Lindsay of active.com has an excellent article on how to prevent the six most common problems: Achilles tendonitis, patellar tendonitis, saddle sores, lower back pain, neck pain, and broken clavicle or scaphoid (collarbone and carpal bone on the thumb side of the hand).

Whether you are on the road, the trails or an avid spinner at the gym, prevention is always better than treatment.

On the other hand, if you are already suffering from overuse injuries or if cycling is aggravating a pre-existing problem did you know that acupuncture can promote faster healing and recovery?

Acupuncture quickly and effectively stops pain and reduces inflammation that cyclists routinely experience. Whether it’s a sudden acute trauma or a cumulative overuse injury acupuncture treatments accelerate the natural healing process; stimulating blood flow to the injured area, disrupting stagnation and bringing vital nutrients to the afflicted area. Pain relief is often immediate.

Working within the connective tissue—acupuncture affects the kinesthetic chain throughout the entire body and increases flexibility. Keeping your body flexible helps maintain a normmal range of motion in the joints— to help you power up your ride. Acupuncture can loosen up the stiffness that most cyclists experience especially in the in the quads, hip flexors, hamstrings and lower back.

For competitive cyclists, a few sessions during training will increase stamina and boost energy. Consider having one acupuncture session before an event to reduce anxiety, increase focus and build self-confidence.