As we move out of winter and into the glorious warm days of spring, many athletes are transitioning from treadmills and indoor tracks to the winding, mountainous trails as they melt out from being covered in winter’s snow. With this change in venue, elevation and surface can come shin splints, knee pain, hip pain, among other aches and pains.

We live in a skier’s paradise, and Glenwood Springs is perfectly situated to dawn patrol up Williams Peak or jet up to Aspen and blow cold smoke. And like so many other outdoor sports, when the season is in, it’s nonstop. But how is your body holding up to all that use and abuse trying to squeeze out every little ounce of the goods during the season?

Many times pain may indicate actual tissue damage (like a sprained ankle, broken toe, ruptured tendon), but there are other times it is a multi-faucets sensation from the body that might not be linked to any damage of the tissue at all.

Remember the marks on the back and shoulders of swimmer Michael Phelps and gymnast Alexander Naddour in the 2016 Rio Olympics that sparked great debate? Those marks are from cupping. While the Olympics made those little suction marks famous, Chinese Medicine has been utilizing this technique for thousands of years. But what is cupping and how does it work?

Acupuncture’s ability to nudge the body’s natural healing responses is one way in which acupuncture can help heal sports injuries.