Contact sport: a sport in which players may directly or indirectly have physical contact with an opponent.
Roller derby is a contact sport.
The hip check. The C-stop. The J-stop. The sore body the next morning
and the chronic pain and injuries that can accumulate during a season.
Like any sport, derby girls are rarely 100% once the season begins. They
often skate hurt in order not to miss a bout, which can compound the
problem. That’s how much they love it and are dedicated to the team and
its goals.
Everyone has their method or modality to manage the pain. You find
that thing or combination of things that helps manage the pain and
discomfort and keeps the body in balance for the upcoming rigors of
bouts and practice. Maybe it’s a massage, a back adjustment, or an
ibuprofen. Maybe all three.
I’ve been a clinical acupuncturist specializing in sports injury and
pain management for more than ten years, and I’ve been helping
frustrated athletes of all types manage their pain and injury issues
using acupuncture. My patients have included NFL players, Major League
Baseball players, Olympians, MMA fighters, and bodybuilders. But I have
to admit, working with our local derby team here in Boise, Idaho, has
been the most fun.
I contacted the Treasure Valley Roller Girls (TVRG) and offered my
services to the club, having no expectation on what their response might
be. But I was hoping that something as off-beat as roller derby would
accept something just as off-beat as acupuncture. To my delight, TVRG
was interested and off we went as team acupuncturist and sponsor.
My first contact with the team also happened to be my first patient
from the team, Lemon Harangue Die. Lemon suffered a broken leg last
season and has had recurring pain at the break site with skating. She
seemed to get some relief from my treatments and, as word got out, the
rest of the team followed.
The girls are treated at my clinic and come of their own free will. I
evaluate them according to the principles of Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) and set them up with a treatment plan that will get them
the results they are seeking. Most often this is for pain management and
the resolution of chronic nagging injuries that just never seem to go
away. The hip check. The C-stop. The J-stop. It’s a contact sport.
“Having Tony with Eagle Acupuncture as a sponsor for Treasure Valley
Rollergirls has been an amazing asset!” says Boobie Houser, M.D. “Tony
has a vast knowledge base to help us with injuries and general health
concerns. Acupuncture has helped us focus more on the game and less on
aches and pains.”
Acupuncture is one of many therapeutic options for the derby athlete.
It can go deeper and reach more exact anatomical structures than many
therapies. For pain management, acupuncture is less invasive than
surgery and, often, the athlete can continue to train while undergoing
treatment.
Acupuncture decreases rehab down-time by stimulating cell counts,
blood flow, reducing post-op pain and helping to break up adhesions. It
can also treat several areas at once.
“Acupuncture has helped me with the care of several roller derby
related injuries,” says Candy AssAssasin. “It can relieve minor muscle
tweaks and has aided in the healing of a broken ankle. It assists in
pain control and enhances relaxation, and in turn, helps make me a
stronger, more balanced athlete.”
“For the first time in seven years, I am completely pain free,” says
Cougar Crush, a four-year veteran on the Treasure Valley Roller Girls.
Cougar underwent a series of acupuncture treatments with me for
shoulder, knee, back and hip issues. After years of bouting in pain, she
is able to skate pain-free.
Each patient and condition is unique. Typically, patients receive
treatment once or twice per week.
Some may respond favorably after two
or three treatments, while others with chronic or hard-to-treat problems
may require more. Remember, acupuncture is a therapy, which means an
athlete will get the best result from a course of visits rather than
just one.
Acupuncture is also effective as a performance enhancer. Many use it
prior to an event to calm anxiety and consolidate focus, without feeling
drugged. Others use it to stimulate their bodies and overcome lethargy
or over-training. Trix-E, one of the original members of the Treasure
Valley Roller Girls, uses acupuncture treatments to control allergy and
sinus problems. This can be viewed as a performance enhancement in a way
because it releases the athlete from using over-the-counter or
prescribed medications, which can have deleterious side effects and
reduce performance.
Are there studies to confirm acupuncture’s effect on the athlete? Yes.
Acupuncture’s efficacy on pain relief is widely accepted in the medical world and this is the number one issue I deal with TVRG.
Beyond that, there are interesting studies regarding the use of
acupuncture to produce cardiovascular improvements that enhance physical
capacity and endurance. A study of cyclists showed that those receiving
acupuncture extended their performance limits by 7% over those who did
not receive acupuncture.
Another study showed that acupuncture performed post-exercise reduces
lactic acid build-up in the muscles. Study participants on a treadmill
test received acupuncture 5 minutes and 30 minutes after exercising.
Those who received acupuncture had 6% less acid build-up after 5 minutes
and 14% less acid build-up after 30 minutes than those who did not
receive acupuncture. This means less muscle fatigue, reduced muscle
soreness, and decreased recovery time.
In the same study, participants reported feeling more comfortable
during exercise if the points were stimulated during exercise. This
could lead to more intensive and longer training, which came in handy
this season since the girls qualified for divisionals in August in Des
Moines, Iowa, and took third place, upsetting the top-ranked team.
So what does all of this mean? It means that in a sports world filled
with nutritionists, strength coaches and trainers, the use of
acupuncture is a valuable and over-looked therapy that can help reduce
pain and recovery times in the derby athlete, as well as potentiate
their performance capabilities. I would encourage derby athletes to use
acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine as a valuable adjunct to
their wellness regimen. It’s working just fine in Boise, Idaho.
Tony Burris, L.Ac.,
is an 18-year practitioner of
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is an expert in safe and effective
acupuncture therapy and herbal remedies. He is the only practitioner in the
United States that offers a “Painless Acupuncture- Or Your Money Back!”
Guarantee. Tony helps frustrated and injured athletes and chronic pain sufferers
discover a unique therapy system that often provides long-lasting or even
permanent pain relief. His patients include members of the San Diego Chargers,
Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. Tony also
treats members of the Seattle Mariners, Olympic medalists, mixed martial
artists and NCAA competitors. Contact Tony @ tony@eagleacupuncture.com