As a competitive triathlete and Ironman finisher, I know firsthand the physical toll that intense, long-distance training takes on the human body. Whether you are training for local North Shore trail runs, marathons, or triathlons, properly supporting your body during hard training blocks is essential to avoiding injury and hitting your peak. At the North Vancouver Pain Clinic, we regularly work with athletes to naturally elevate their athletic performance. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture help
optimize physical output by strengthening your immune system, maintaining joint, muscle, and tendon health, and naturally boosting your energy and endurance. From a clinical Chinese medicine perspective, your athletic potential heavily relies on supporting four core internal organ systems: the Liver, Kidneys, Lungs, and Spleen.
The Liver: Managing Blood Flow, Muscles, and Tendons
In traditional Chinese medicine, the Liver plays a vital role for athletes because “The Liver stores blood and governs the tendons and ligaments.”
When you train hard, your muscles require a rapid, clean supply of oxygenated blood. If your liver system is under stress or depleted, blood flow to your extremities becomes restricted. This leads directly to muscle tightness, decreased flexibility, and a much higher risk of tendonitis, strains, or structural injuries.
By utilizing targeted sports acupuncture and trigger point therapy, we help regulate optimal blood flow directly to the deep tissue networks. This keeps your tendons and ligaments resilient, pliable, and capable of handling heavy training loads.
The Kidneys: The Root of Endurance and Structural Strength
The Kidneys are considered the foundation of all constitutional energy in your body. They govern your bones and control your core stamina.
When athletes experience overtraining syndrome, burnout, or deep physical fatigue, it is often a sign that their kidney energy is depleted. Strong kidney health ensures that your skeletal system can withstand impact forces and that your body has the deep reserves needed for long endurance events.
The Lungs: Maximizing Oxygen Intake and VO2 Max
Your Lungs control your respiration and the distribution of vital energy throughout your body. For endurance athletes, lung efficiency is directly tied to performance and pacing. Acupuncture works to open up chest restriction and optimize your respiratory capacity.
By enhancing lung function, you improve oxygen uptake into your red blood cells, which directly improves endurance, delays the onset of lactic acid, and keeps you moving faster for longer.
The Spleen: Converting Nutrition into Clean Athletic Energy
In TCM, the Spleen is the primary organ responsible for digestion and transforming the food you eat into usable energy and blood.
No matter how perfect your training plan is, you cannot perform if your body isn’t absorbing nutrients effectively. A weak digestive system leads to sluggishness, muscle heaviness, and poor recovery times. Strengthening this system ensures your muscles receive the constant fuel and repair nutrients they need to rebuild after a grueling workout.
Supporting your liver, kidneys, lungs, and spleen helps athletes heal injuries, stop new pain, and boost performance. In my practice, I use herbal medicine and acupuncture for this care.
How Acupuncture Works
- Moves energy: It moves qi and blood in the body.
- Clears blockages: It clears stuck waste, like lactic acid after hard workouts.
- Speeds healing: It brings fresh blood and food to tissues for fast recovery. [1]
Pro Sports Use
- Tour de France: 2014 Tour Winner Vincenzo Nibali and Team Astana got acupuncture twice a day during the race.
- Team sports: Players in the NFL, CFL, MLB, NBA, and pro soccer use it every day.