During the spring and summer seasons, we sponsored local athlete Luke. We diagnosed and treated Luke with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to aid him as he competed in numerous marathons, triathlons, and, most recently, his second Ironman competition in Louisville. Luke didn't have specific complaints but wanted to care for his body during his intense training. We focused on boosting energy and endurance, strengthening immunity, and promoting joint health. This helped him to avoid tendon and ligament injuries, recover from workouts faster, and stave off adrenal fatigue over the many months of training and conditioning. We'll get in to specifics below, as we are taking a similar approach with our new athlete, but you can read about Luke's experience and journey in his blog http://lukeapowell.blogspot.com/.For the fall and winter seasons, we will be working with a local young performer. Jessica is a 22 year old ballerina and teacher with the Louisville Ballet Company. Anyone who's ever done any formal dancing or Pure Barre workouts knows how intense the training regiment for ballet is. It requires high levels of strength, agility, and flexibility, and the body must be in prime condition. She came to Meridian presenting with calf pain and cramping, muscle fatigue, and plantar fasciitis. Doctors weren't able to offer any relief, and the only thing that reduced the pain was taking breaks from dancing - that's not an option!
Her pain was deep within the calf and extended down from the back of knee to the Achilles tendon attachment. Upon palpation, her Kidney and Spleen Meridians were tight, and her Kidney Meridian also had palpable nodulations. The Liver Meridian was thin and warm to the touch, while the Stomach Meridian was tight and warm. Her pulses were thin with the middle positions absent. We diagnosed her as having Liver Yin deficiency and Blood deficiency giving rise to heat.
The fluids that lubricate joint spaces and nourish our body tissues are derived from the body's Yin fluids and Blood, which are manufactured by the Spleen from the food we intake and further differentiated and managed by the Liver and Kidneys. The Liver governs the tendons and sinews, so when it becomes deficient and dry, it cannot properly nourish these tissues, and the body is vulnerable to muscle and ligament injuries. The lack of lubrication and moistening also causes a build up of heat in the Meridians, which can manifest as pain, inflammation, and, eventually, atrophy. Proper support of the Liver and Kidneys (and to a lesser extent, the Spleen) is required to treat and prevent tendomuscular injuries in athletes, particularly since the intense physicality of their activities burns through Yin and Blood much more quickly than the average individual.
We treated our triathlete and dancer in similar fashion with a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs. The acupuncture is used to invigorate the Meridians to move out any stagnation lodged in the tissues which may be causing pain. This could be viewed as helping the body process metabolic waste in the muscles, such as lactic acid. Promoting free flow of Qi and Blood also serves to bring fresh nourishment into the tissues. Acupuncture points are also included to bolster the production in Yin and Blood in the Liver, Kidney, and Spleen. Often, a specific point of the Gall Bladder Meridian (which is the Liver Meridian's Yin-Yang pair) is used to strengthen and support the tendons and muscles; one of the names for this point is Jin Hui (筋會), meaning "sinew convergence."
Herbally, we often look to a classical formula which nourishes the Liver and Kidney Yin: Yi Guan Jian. The formula includes Gou Qi Zi to soften the Liver and nourish the Kidney; Dang Gui to nourish and invigorate Blood; Sheng Di Huang to enrich fluids, nourish the Liver, and clear deficiency heat; Mai Men Dong and Sha Shen to moisten and engender Yin; and Chuan Lian Zi, which disperses constrained Liver qi, thereby indirectly reducing pain, and works to counteract the cloying tendencies of the other ingredients. From there we usually modify the formula to increase its focus on joint and muscle health. Herbs which relax, stretch, and nourish the tendons may be added, such as Mu Gua, Shen Jin Cao, and Hong Jing Tian. Huai Niu Xi is added for its action of invigorating Blood, particular in the legs, and Zhu Ru may be used to guide the actions of the formula to the Gall Bladder Meridian, which traverses and penetrates the iliotibial band (IT band). Lu Xian Cao invigorates Blood and relaxes sinews, and because it enters the Kidney Meridian, which begins on the sole of the foot, it is an effective addition for treating plantar fasciitis.
This is a very effective strategy for repairing or protecting against sports injuries. We would recommend a similar treatment plan for any athlete or dancer, but this is also a great way to stay healthy while doing a workout regime, practicing yoga (particularly hot yoga!), hiking, or another other physical activity.
