Application and research progress of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy in sports medicine: a short review

Abstract

The theoretical basis of acupuncture and moxibustion in traditional Chinese medicine is recognized as “dredging meridians, promoting blood circulation, and removing blood stasis”. In modern medical theories, the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion is discussed as “analgesia, improving the microenvironment, influencing hormone release and inflammatory mechanism”. Many studies have confirmed its healing effects and established it as an effective method for treating sports medicine conditions. The application of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of sports medicine conditions, such as tendinopathy, myofasciitis, ligament injury, peripheral nerve injury, tendon and bone healing, has been analyzed to understand its clinical efficacy and mechanism. Although acupuncture and moxibustion are widely used in sports medicine conditions, most of the current studies are retrospective and lack randomized double-blind controlled trials. Future research should include more randomized double-blind trials, using multi-center and large sample clinical observation, to further confirm the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of sports medicine disorders and improve its clinical application.