2026/10/02 11:23
What to do if you have soreness or sprain after exercise? Huang Qiwen, a traditional Chinese medicine physician at Enzhu Gong Hospital, pointed out that the key lies in the balance between training and repair. (Provided by Benzhu Hospital)
[Reporter Weng Yuhuang/New Taipei Report] Exercise is good for health, but exercise often comes with costs: sprains, muscle strains, and chronic knee pain have become lingering problems for many sports enthusiasts. Traditional Chinese medicine points out that exercise helps the body become stronger in the process of "moderate stimulation, adequate repair, and remodeling." Sports injuries still require correct treatment from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine to avoid causing greater harm.
Huang Qiwen, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine at En Zhu Gong Hospital, pointed out that sometimes athletes are not injured suddenly, but that the body's repair speed gradually cannot keep up with the minor injuries caused by training. Over time, they may suffer from fatigue, muscle tightness, prolonged recovery time, and even repeated pain in the same part.
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"If a sprain is so swollen that I can't walk, will it be okay if I just bleed it?" After many people sprain during sports, they will immediately seek folk bloodletting and massage, thinking that reducing swelling and relieving pain means the injury is healed. Huang Qiwen reminded that Chinese medicine does have treatment methods such as pricking and bloodletting. The traditional theory explains its principle by "activating blood circulation, removing blood stasis, unblocking collaterals and relieving pain." However, "folk bloodletting" and medical practices performed by qualified Chinese medicine practitioners cannot be directly equated. It is not recommended that the public perform bloodletting on their own or accept people without medical qualifications to perform bloodletting. In addition to the risks of infection, bleeding and disinfection, the bigger concern is that returning to the court too early after the pain temporarily improves will worsen the original ligament injury.
Huang Qiwen said that the traditional Chinese medicine treatment tools for sports injuries include traditional acupuncture, laser acupuncture, traumatology techniques and internal and external application of traditional Chinese medicine. Huang Qiwen explained that clinically, we will first determine whether it is an acute injury, chronic cumulative injury, or simple muscle overuse, and then choose the appropriate treatment method; correct assessment and diagnosis, as well as rehabilitation, muscle The combination of integrated treatments cannot be ignored. Laser acupuncture, which has become popular in recent years, uses low-energy lasers to stimulate acupuncture points or painful areas. It does not require needle insertion and there is almost no acupuncture pain. It is another treatment option that can be considered for athletes who are afraid of needles, sensitive to pain, or who train a lot and do not want to add additional invasive stimulation.
She reminded that it is not recommended for competitive athletes to use compound tea drinks with complex ingredients and unknown sources to avoid the risk of accidentally stepping on banned substances in competition. For example, ephedrine, commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, contains ingredients such as ephedrine. According to the 2026 banned list of WADA (World Sports Drug Control Organization), ephedrine has a concentration standard in urine and is a stimulant substance that requires special attention "in competition".
