Hong Kong athletes are increasingly adopting a hybrid approach to sports injury recovery that combines traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with Western medical practices, reflecting the city’s multicultural landscape and evolving healthcare dynamics.

Fencer Janelle Leung Ya-lei, ranked 53rd globally and a member of Hong Kong’s bronze-medal-winning women’s foil team at the 2023 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, illustrates this integrated approach. In April, a week before the Cairo Foil World Cup, Leung suffered a partial ankle ligament tear while abroad, limiting her access to her usual medical team. Drawing on her studies in Chinese medicine and biomedical science at Baptist University, she used acupuncture on specific points to improve blood flow and reduce swelling and pain, facilitating her recovery and enabling her to compete.

In Hong Kong, the decision between Western and Chinese medical treatments is less about choosing one over the other and more about how to combine both. Dr. Cheung Yung, a TCM practitioner, treats a wide spectrum of athletes, from runners and hikers to players of sports such as tennis, pickleball, and padel. He categorizes injuries as either acute accidents—such as sprains or tears—or chronic conditions stemming from repetitive strain, like tendinopathy or lower back pain. While his assessments primarily rely on traditional diagnostic techniques supplemented by modern imaging where available, he emphasizes that severe injuries requiring surgical intervention must be addressed by Western medicine first.

The integration of both medical traditions is increasingly seen as beneficial but depends on coordinated care among practitioners. Dr. Hon Sze-sze, a senior lecturer in sports management at Baptist University, notes that many athletes initially seek Western medical consultations to obtain referrals for imaging or physiotherapy, often influenced by insurance policies or personal trust in Chinese medical practitioners. Amy Ng Pui-pui, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong, stresses that optimal outcomes come when TCM practitioners, physiotherapists, and doctors collaborate using unified diagnoses and recovery plans rather than working in isolation.

Rehabilitation experts caution against equating pain relief with complete healing. Ng and Cheung agree that return-to-sport decisions should be guided by objective measures of strength, function, and sport-specific testing rather than subjective discomfort alone. Cheung advises that even after pain subsides and joint mobility returns, athletes should allow additional time for tissue healing before resuming full training.

Leung describes the relationship between Western sports medicine and TCM as mutually supportive. Western methods focus on structural assessment through imaging and progressive strengthening regimes, while TCM provides adjunctive pain and inflammation management to enhance recovery quality. This complementary dynamic aligns with broader research that supports acupuncture’s role in mitigating persistent muscular and joint pain, acute ankle sprains, and tennis elbow, although experts like Chinese medicine practitioner Troy Sing clarify that acupuncture does not replace the need for mechanical rehabilitation.

For overuse injuries, structured exercise programs remain the primary treatment, supplemented by modalities such as Chinese therapeutic massage and mind-body practices like qigong, which may aid in chronic symptom management and function, particularly for spine and knee conditions. However, treatments like cupping receive cautious endorsement due to limited high-quality evidence, and practitioners warn athletes to use topical analgesics judiciously, mindful of potential systemic effects.

Hong Kong’s expanding sports participation beyond elite athletes underscores the relevance of this blended medical model. Dr. Hon highlights the importance of a robust support system including knowledgeable coaches, fitness trainers, medical professionals familiar with sport-specific demands, and disciplined athletes. Leung concisely captures the evolving ethos: “Chinese medicine and Western medicine balance each other out,” creating a more comprehensive approach throughout recovery.

Overall, experts advocate a structured recovery sequence—proper diagnosis, exclusion of serious injury, safe pain management, capacity rebuilding, and sport-specific functional testing—within which TCM serves as a valuable component rather than a standalone solution. This integrated framework aims to optimize athletes’ return to performance while reducing the risk of reinjury.