If you’re an athlete who participates in sports that involve running, jumping, or agile movements (like soccer), you’re likely familiar with hamstring injuries. The biceps femoris is one of three muscles from the hamstring group. Located in the back of the thigh, the biceps femoris plays a key role in bending the knee and extending the hip joint.
Biceps femoris strains and muscle tears are among the most common hamstring injuries in athletic sports. These injuries can happen suddenly from overloading the muscle, or gradually due to repetitive stress and overuse. Regardless of the cause, biceps femoris injuries can be extremely painful and lead to prolonged recovery times if not treated properly.
Acupuncture aids with the healing process of biceps femoris, it relieves inflammation and pain, and increases blood flow into the injured muscle. Aside from the long-term benefits of acupuncture, it also leads to quick recovery, and thus you will regain your range of motion in no time so that you can be back in action.
What causes biceps femoris injuries?
The biceps femoris is a biarticular muscle, meaning it crosses two joints – the knee and the hip. This unique positioning makes it highly susceptible to injuries. The biceps femoris undergoes extreme degrees of lengthening and shortening with movements like sprinting, kicking, and jumping.
Biceps femoris is also more common with the following:
- Sprinting injuries: Sudden movements that put great pressure on muscles
- Deceleration injuries: Suddenly slowing down after running leads to a rapid lengthening of the hamstring
- Stretching too far: Overdoing splits, high kicks, or similar movements
- Muscle fatigue: The hamstring is more at risk when tired and over-exercised
- Muscle tightness: Lack of flexibility and mobility increases injury susceptibility
Hamstring injuries happen more frequently in sports like track & field, soccer, football, basketball, and any activity involving high-speed running and direction changes. The severity of biceps femoris injuries can range from mild strains to complete ruptures.
Symptoms typically include:
- Sudden, sharp pain in the back of the thigh or buttock area
- Swelling around the injured muscle
- Bruising
- Limited flexibility and range of motion
- Weakness when trying to push off or extend the hip
- Walking with a limp
Acupuncture offers pain relief
If you’ve ever had a biceps femoris injury, you will be familiar with the significant pain, especially in the early stages. Acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. These endorphins bind to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord to stop pain signals from reaching the brain.
With reduced pain, acupuncture promotes proper resting and recovery of the hamstring. Acupuncture also helps you avoid oral painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs that can slow down your healing process and have negative effects when used for a long time.
Acupuncture can reduce inflammation and swelling
Bringing down inflammation is a top priority when it comes to treating biceps femoris strains and tears. Inflammation not only causes pain, but also prevents the free flow of fluids, nutrients, and healing compounds to the injured tissues.
However, by incorporating acupuncture sessions in your recovery program, the insertion of thin acupuncture needles enhances circulation by opening up new pathways for blocked areas. This flushes out inflammation while bringing in fresh blood flow to initiate repair. The combination of reduced inflammation and improved circulation is a powerful one-two punch for recovery.
Acupuncture prevents tissue scarring
As the biceps femoris attempts to heal micro-tears in the muscle fibers, there is a risk of forming scar tissue adhesions and diminished mobility. The good news is, that acupuncture prevents this by improving circulation to the entire area, helping restore full flexibility as your muscle mends.
Acupuncture improves flexibility
Lack of mobility, flexibility, and range of motion are common issues that linger after biceps femoris injuries. Acupuncture reduces muscle tension and spasms that restrict movement. As the swelling and pain reduce, you will gradually regain your normal stride and mobility.
We recommend combining acupuncture with stretching and exercise rehabilitation to improve strength and flexibility and prevent re-injury.
Acupuncture assists in restoring healthy tissue
On a cellular level, acupuncture has been shown to stimulate the regeneration of tissues like muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It facilitates the healing process by encouraging the production of key structural components like collagen. This results in stronger, more resilient muscle fibers better equipped to handle the extreme forces placed on the biceps femoris during athletic activities.
Acupuncture acts as a holistic therapy, supporting full-body healing
Reducing physical stress and tension
When an injury like a biceps femoris strain occurs, the body is put in a constant state of stress as it tries to compensate for the area of weakness. Acupuncture releases this muscular stress and tension from regions like the back, hip, and opposite leg that become overactive.
Improving sleep quality
Lack of quality sleep inhibits the body’s natural healing response and ability to recover from injuries. Acupuncture helps you sleep better by reducing pain, lowering stress hormone levels, and regulating neurotransmitters in the sleep cycle.
Boosting the immune system
With its anti-inflammatory effects and ability to modulate immune signals, acupuncture allows the body to respond appropriately to injuries and facilitate tissue repair. A stronger immune system helps prevent nagging hamstring issues from turning into chronic problems.
Returning to pre-injury activity levels
While it’s important not to rush recovery, if you’re an athlete, you are likely very eager to get back to your regular training routines as soon as possible. Visiting our clinic and having regular acupuncture sessions will help you regain your pre-injury strength, flexibility, and conditioning levels in a safe, measured way through its multi-pronged approach.
Identifying and correcting muscle imbalances
Even after a biceps femoris injury has technically healed, imbalances and dysfunction can remain, making re-injury more likely. At Lycoming Orthopedic & Sports Acupuncture, our acupuncturists are experts at detecting and addressing any lingering areas of tightness, weakness, or asymmetry through muscle monitoring, corrective exercise, and dry needling.
When incorporated into a comprehensive rehabilitation program, acupuncture is an invaluable tool for healing biceps femoris injuries in the short term and keeping you performing at your best long-term.
Get in touch with us today
Whether you strained your biceps femoris while running sprints or took a cleat to the back of the thigh, don’t let this nagging injury keep you sidelined. Acupuncture provides an all-natural solution to alleviate your pain, reduce swelling, and jumpstart your recovery.
The experienced practitioners at Lycoming Orthopedic & Sports Acupuncture have helped countless athletes overcome hamstring issues and peak performance shape.
Contact our office today to learn more about acupuncture for biceps femoris injuries and book your first appointment. The road to recovery starts here!
