David J. Nickel

Health professionals, trainers, coaches, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts have come to appreciate acupressure, for it is a natural, drug-free, noninvasive healing system without side effects.'-Sports Fitness

The ancient technique of acupresure involves applying pressure with the thumb or finger to specific points on the body in order to reduce pain; improve circulation, flexibility, and muscle functioning; and promote body balance and healing. This book presents a comprehensive, fully illustrated, and simple-to-follow series of acupressure techniques that athletes on all levels-from casual weekend participants to Olympic competitors-can use while playing any one of twenty-five sports.

Acupressure for Athletes will help every athlete to:

Train harder-by increasing endurance with acupressure warm-up points.
Feel stronger-by getting more out of workouts through the stimulation of neuromuscular reflexes.
Play better-by sparking mental alertness, calming jittery nerves, reversing insomnia, and boosting energy levels.
Recover faster-by learning methods to immediately reduce pain and swelling from sprains and strains.

Every athlete can use this book to develop an individualized acupressure program for warm-up, cool-down, and pre-competition conditioning to keep the body finely tuned and injury-free.

'Once you start this book you will find it most difficult to put down.'-National Athletic Trainers Association

'The most comprehensive self-help manual on the subject ever published.'-National Junior College Athletic Association

David J. Nickels, a state-certified Doctor of Oriental medicine with extensive experience in treating sports injuries, maintains a private practice specializing in sports acupuncture in Santa Monica, California.

Contents

Pain chart
Introduction
Acupressure technique
1 Maximizing performance
Acupressure warm-up and cool-down
Over-all warm-up points
Sprot warm-ups adn cool-down-Badminton; Baseball; Basketball; Bowling; Dance; Fencing; Football; Golf; Gymnastics; Handball; Ice hockey; Martial arts; Racquetball, paddle ball and squash; Rollerskating; Skiiing Cross-country & downhill; Soccer; Swimming; Tennis; Track and field; Volleyball; Waterskiing; Weightlifting; Windsurfing; Wrestling
Over-all cool-down points
Acupressure pre-competition-Pre-competition points
Acupressure body balancing
Balancing ponts-Over-all balance; Appetite balance; Digestion balance; Elimination balance; Fainting control; Fracture healing; Headache relief; Inflammation control; Menstrual balance; Mood elevation; Motion balance; Muscle balance; Pain control; Perspiration balance; Sciatic relief; Shock relief; Substance abuse control; Throat health
2 Treating sprains and strains
Athletic injuries acupressure treatment
Ankle-Ankle sprain: outer; Achilles strain; Ankle strain: inner
Back-Back strain: lumbar
Elbow-Elbow strain; Elbow strain inner; Elbow strain outer
Finger-Finger strain
Foot-Foot strain arch; Foot strain top
Hand-Hand strain
Knee-Knee strain deep; Knee strain inner; Knee strain outer; Knee strain outer; Kneecap strain lower; Kneecap strain upper
Leg-thigh strain front; Thigh stain inner; Hamstring strain; Calf strain; Shin splints front; Shin splints rear
Neck-Neck sprain
Shoulder-Shoulder strain; Biceps strain
Thumb-Thumb strain; Thumb strain
Wrist-Wrist strain
Ear points chart treatment
History of acupressure
How acupressure works
Acupressure recommended reading (bibliography)
Index
Warm-up and cool-down form… (altro)