Applications of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Exercise-Induced Fatigue and Sports Injuries

Exercise-induced fatigue and sports injuries represent interconnected challenges for athletes: fatigue disrupts energy metabolism, redox balance, immune function, and endocrine homeostasis, elevating the risk of overuse injuries and delaying return to sport. Addressing this multisystem issue is crucial for safe and timely athlete rehabilitation. This paper explores traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions for exercise-induced fatigue and sports-related injuries, focusing on five key approaches: herbal remedies, bioactive polysaccharides, Tuina, acupuncture, and integrated TCM-Western rehabilitation. Herbal interventions enhance glycogen storage, stabilize blood glucose, and reduce lactate, urea, and triglyceride levels; they also regulate redox balance (e.g., Danshen improves antioxidant enzyme activity), suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines to modulate immune function, and optimize the testosterone-cortisol balance for endocrine homeostasis. Bioactive polysaccharides like those from Cassia seed lower lactate levels, extending exercise endurance. Combinations of Astragalus, Codonopsis and jujube alter amino acid metabolism and gut microbiota composition. When paired with functional training, Tuina and acupuncture reduce pain, accelerate recovery, and enhance intervention efficacy. Integrated TCM-Western programs further boost functional improvements and athletes readiness to return to play. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that TCM serves as an effective complementary approach, alleviating fatigue, facilitating injury recovery, supporting personalized care, and aligning with modern sports rehabilitation practices.