Westerners have a tendency to view liniments as something only good for momentary calming and soothing purposes. However, liniments, particularly those used in Chinese sports medicine, aren’t something that should be dismissed so easily. These liniments are potent tools with the capability of not only accelerating the healing process, but furthermore reducing potential complications.
As most are probably already aware, many liniments commonly contain herbal ingredients with “painkilling” capability. The misconception is that these herbs merely mask pain or just alleviate pain through an analgesic action. In reality, these herbs reduce pain because they reduce what causes it - swelling and inflammation. As blood and fluid accumulations are broken up, normal circulation may once again return to the injured area.
Acute Sinew Liniment
The number one remedy for contusions, bruises, fractures, and sprains is Acute Sinew Liniment. Most athletes have a tendency to dismiss bruises as minor injuries that supposedly heal without intervention. However, kung fu practitioners have noticed from centuries of study that localized repeated bruising and large bruising can result in stagnant fluids and blood accumulating in the area. This occurrence often caused serious health problems years after the injury. Acute Sinew Liniment was created in response. It can treat sport-related injuries and disperse these fluids and blood accumulations, thus benefiting the athlete by prolonging both health and career.
What Does Acute Sinew Liniment Do?
The ingredients of the Acute Sinew Liniment can cease the pain, lessen inflammation and swelling, and get stagnant blood and fluids moving again in an array of the injuries that are plagues to those participating in sporting activities, namely sprains, strains, and contusions. Cooling and warming herbs are carefully balanced to work congruently with each other. Cooling herbs work to reduce swelling and inflammation with a cooling that’s as effective as icing the area down. Meanwhile, the warming herbs are hard at work stopping the pain, promoting circulation, and breaking up the fluid accumulation.
How Do I Apply Acute Sinew Liniment?
It can be applied to pulled muscles, bruises, and sprains and strains as follows:
Bruises
For the best penetration, gently pat a small amount of the liniment into the injured area. Begin with lightly massaging the sore spots with three fingertips or the thumb, breaking up any accumulations or lumpy areas. As pain subsides, gradually work the liniment into deeper tissue.
Pulled Muscles
Gradually massage the liniment into the knots in the affected muscle using three fingers or the thumb, breaking up the knots by rubbing in the longitudinal direction of the muscle fibers. Remember to also massage some liniment into muscle attachments. Take a pulled hamstring for example:
1. Pat the liniment onto the skin above the hamstring.
2. Massage in a circular motion across the affected area.
3. Massage following the direction of the hamstring (up toward the head and down toward the feet) to break up knots.
4. Massage at the posterior knee bend and the crease just below the buttocks to allow the liniment to reach the tendon attachments.
Sprains And Strains
Gently massage a small amount of liniment into the area of injury. In cases where there is swelling over the area, follow these steps:
1. Place a small amount of liniment to the tip of three fingers or the thumb. Starting at an edge of the swollen area, make small circular rubbing motions.
2. Place a small amount of liniment to the tip of the finger or thumb again. Now, lighten the application of pressure as you gently rub inward from the edge of the swelling.
3. Place another small amount of liniment to the tip of the fingers or thumb. Now, make circles away from the center of swelling. This will push the stagnant fluid and blood accumulation away from the swollen area, and thereby allow them to be naturally reabsorbed by the body.
Chronic Sinew Liniment
There are some key differences between Acute Sinew Liniment and Chronic Sinew Liniment. As the name implies, Acute Sinew Liniment is most ideal for the acute inflammatory processes found in bruising, sprains and strains, and pulled muscles. On the other hand, Chronic Sinew Liniment is ideal for chronic ligament and tendon injures; an old sprain that just isn’t healing or tendonitis that keeps recurring for example. The difference comes in the formulation of the liniment. Acute Sinew Liniment has a unique balance of warming and cooling herbs, with special attention that the formulation doesn’t overheat already inflamed areas of injury. The formulation of Chronic Sinew Liniment has substantially more warming herbs to spur circulation improvement.
For chronic tendon injuries, such as tennis or golfer’s elbow, these warming herbs are of vital importance. One of the main reasons that tendon injuries have such a slow and stubborn healing process is that there isn’t much direct blood supply to tendons. The affected area will have much less dampness and coldness penetrating it when circulation is improved.
It’s not unusual for many cases of tendonitis to have residual inflammation. In these cases, the Chronic Sinew Liniment shouldn’t be applied since direct heat and poultices can cause residual inflammation to flare up. One easy way to know if your injury has residual inflammation or not is by simply asking yourself if heat makes your injury better or worse. If Chronic Sinew Liniment makes your injury worse after applying it a for a couple of days, then you might have residual inflammation and need to change to the Acute Sinew Liniment.
How Do I Apply Chronic Sinew Liniment?
1. Place a tiny amount of liniment on the pads of two or three fingers or the pad of the thumb.
2. Gently massage some liniment into the injured tendon or ligament, apply just enough pressure to penetrate to the area. If it’s painful, you’re too deep.
3. Make small circular motions for several minutes to work the liniment into the tissues. You may need to reapply some liniment to the fingers or thumb as you rub.
4. In repetitive stress injuries that involve micro-tearing and pulling muscle away from bone, use small circles toward the bone.
Advantages Of Using Liniments
While there are many methods of delivering these herbal painkillers to an injured area, there are some fundamental advantages with liniments:
* ease of administration - all that’s required is to simply rub the liniment into the injured area. Using certain massage techniques can maximize the effectiveness.
* ease of storage and transport - who doesn’t like convenience? Liniments can easily be placed in small containers if medicine cabinet space is limited or for ease of transport to the gym or work.
* longevity - liniments last much longer than other herbal delivery routes. When stored in cool places that are out of direct sunlight, they will never go bad.
Disadvantages Of Using Liniments
Some find that the frequency at which liniments must be applied to be effective a disadvantage. However, this disadvantage can easily be offset by understanding why the frequency is necessary and how to use the liniment as a poultice.
The frequency is related to the alcohol used while extracting the herbs and the volatility of aromatic oils. While the above aids in deep skin and muscle penetration, evaporation occurs rapidly. Creating a poultice will offset this disadvantage:
Step 1: take a roll of gauze or clean cloth and wrap it around the injured area. Some areas, like a shoulder, may require using a piece of gauze. Just tape the gauze to the skin in lieu of wrapping.
Step 2: moisten the gauze with the liniment, allowing it to soak through to the skin.
Step 3: cover the gauze with an elastic bandage or second layer of rolled gauze or padding.
Step 4: leave this bandage intact overnight or for several hours.
Liniment Cautions
Keep a few points in mind when using a liniment:
* only use liniments externally
* avoid applying or inadvertent contamination to the eyes, mouth, or genitals
* don’t apply to abrasions or otherwise open wounds
* unless specified to do so, liniments shouldn’t be used with wet or dry direct heat (heating pad or hot shower for example)
* pregnant women shouldn’t use liniments on their lower abdomen
