Chung-Hua Institute

In my last installment of Legends, I wrote about the importance of progressive training in order to minimize the chance of injury while training in Chinese martial arts. Nonetheless, it's sort of de rigeur that almost everyone who trains in a combat applicable manner will suffer an injury at one time or another while training. God only knows, I've had my share. So what does the traditional Chinese martial arts student do when they pull a muscle, dislocate a joint, or break a bone?

To answer that question, I spoke to acupuncture instructor, Dr. Ma Xiuling, whose clinic in Beverly Hills, California, is rapidly becoming one of the most sought after in Los Angeles. Even Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Daniel Freeman Hospital retain her on their staffs. Dr. Ma was trained in Beijing by one of mainland China's most well-respected authorities on traditional acupuncture, Professor Yang Jia-San. Professor Yang's formidable reputation made him the instructor of choice for many of the world's top acupuncturists alive today, and Ma was fortunate enough to earn the coveted position of closed-door disciple to Professor Yang. She became one of only a handful of individuals in China who pursued her acupuncture education to a full doctorate degree.

"Acupuncture has been used to treat these sorts of problems since time immemorial," says Ma. "According to legend, acupuncture has been part of Chinese culture since the time of the Yellow Emperor, some 5,000 years ago. Over the centuries, the art has undergone a continuous process of research and development, and has been refined on countless different injuries and diseases."

Ma continues, "In terms of martial arts, some of the most famous martial artists were also physicians in ancient Chinese society. Their intimate knowledge of human anatomical function served them well both in combat and in medicine. During the practice of martial arts, it is almost inevitable that someone will suffer some sort of injury at some point or another, thus it served the head instructor of a particular school well if he was well versed in the prompt treatment of such injuries, as well as those that the local people might approach him with."

She continues, "In Chinese medicine, pain is the result of stagnation in the body. Either qi (internal energy) or blood could stagnate in certain channels or meridian pathways that line the body. That stagnation could manifest as a bruise or some other type of swelling, which is an obvious sign of inhibited circulation in some way. Acupuncture serves to move those blockages, restoring the proper flow of qi and/or blood to the affected area, by means of needling special points along each of the channels in a prescribed manner. This means that points can be used that are either close to the site of injury, or further away from the site of pain. For example, two common points used to treat lower back pain are located on the side of the hand and behind the knee."

Considering that acupuncture works along the same lines as the points commonly used in pressure point strikes and grabs, the logic makes perfect sense. Simply applying the same knowledge in a different direction can make the difference between a therapeutic action and one that inflicts damage. "The main difference between pressure point martial arts and acupuncture, aside from the hand technique that is used to stimulate the point, is that the needles actually go deeper inside the body. The healing aspect is probably much more difficult to learn," explains Ma.

That therapeutic action can be quite effective in some cases. Acupuncture has been used to successfully treat injuries that are common in martial arts circles, especially acute traumas before they progress to the chronic stage after having been left untreated for a long time. This is one of Chinese medicine's strongest points, according to Ma. "Acupuncture gives the patient an alternative, and our success rate in treating martial arts related injuries like sprains, swelling, and post-concussive syndrome is very good, especially after an MD has determined that there's no life-threatening problem that they should first handle, such as a cerebral hemorrhage," she explains.

In terms of broken bones, another common occurrence in martial arts circles, acupuncture makes a great adjunctive therapy. "After a patient has the injury set and placed in a cast, acupuncture, especially when combined with herbs, can greatly reduce the time needed for the bone to heal," says Ma. "In China, our athletes who competed in a wide variety of sports, including martial arts, came to seek acupuncture treatment just prior to their competitions," recalls Ma. "The treatments put them in a more relaxed state of mind and gave them more strength and energy to compete." In our last installment of this series on Injury Prevention & Treatment, we'll examine China's Tui-Na system of joint & soft tissue re-alignment and manipulation.

For more information on acupuncture, you can write to Dr. Xiuling Ma at 864 South Robertson Blvd., Suite 211, Los Angeles, CA 90035, or visit her website at www.acuherbsonline.com