A recent report from the British Acupuncture Council revealed a staggering lack of knowledge around the therapy, with three in 10 Brits admitting they were unclear of how traditional acupuncture, a painless process which involves fine, sterile needles being placed in the body to trigger a healing response, can help them. Even more surprisingly, over a fifth say they are too scared to even consider trying acupuncture because of the needles.
The British Acupuncture Council report also revealed that, when treating a sporting injury, almost three in five people (56 per cent) admit they take oral painkillers, and nearly a third turn to ice/heat packs, compared to just 11 per cent who opt for traditional acupuncture.
Adlington is grateful to have discovered the therapy for treating her own sporting injuries. ‘There were many things that I tried to help my shoulder, and one of those was traditional acupuncture,’ she says. ‘I found it really helped to manage the pain and was better than taking painkillers every day as an alternative option that was actually massively beneficial.’
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Hear more about Adlington’s experience in the video below, and to find out more this alternative pain-relief treatment, visit acupuncture.org.uk.
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