Harry Kane Gets Acupuncture Too? Stories of Acupuncture, Manual Therapy and Herbal Formulas Among Global Stars ①
Harry Kane has received acupuncture over the years. David Beckham has spoken about liking acupuncture and cupping and has also used osteopathic care for a long time. Robert Downey Jr. has said that he takes his own herbal formula. These examples are interesting, but celebrity use is not evidence that a treatment works.
Harry Kane experienced several ankle injuries during his playing career and underwent surgery for a hamstring injury in 2020.
He later received regular care from sports-medicine physician Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco, who is known for using acupuncture and electrical nerve stimulation with athletes.
Kane has said, in essence, that treatment using acupuncture and nervous-system stimulation felt helpful in managing previous injuries.
This does not mean that acupuncture is the reason he has continued to perform at a high level. Elite athletes combine rehabilitation, strength work, nutrition, sleep and many other forms of care. Acupuncture is one part of that broader approach.
What is noteworthy is that this was not a one-off experience: he has used acupuncture for years as one of several ways to look after his body.
David Beckham says he likes acupuncture and cupping
In a 2025 Men’s Health interview, David Beckham said that he likes acupuncture and cupping. He used them while managing injuries as a player and still receives them when his body feels uncomfortable after retirement.
Beckham has also worked for many years with British osteopath James Davies.
Chiropractic care in the United States, osteopathy in Europe and Chuna therapy practised by Korean medicine doctors in Korea are all established forms of hands-on care. Their histories, theories and techniques differ, but they share an interest in muscles, joints and movement and use the hands to work directly with the body.
If Beckham had lived in Korea, it is possible that Chuna might also have been one of the options he considered.
Robert Downey Jr. has shown a long-standing interest in traditional approaches that use acupuncture and medicinal herbs.
At an event in 2012, he described a morning routine that included qigong, exercise and taking his own herbal formula.
For convenience, the Korean article describes this as herbal medicine. We cannot assume that his formula is identical to a prescription provided at a Korean medicine clinic.
It does, however, resemble Korean herbal prescribing in one important way: it combines several medicinal ingredients into a formula rather than relying on a single herb. Korean herbal prescriptions are also composed after considering the person’s symptoms and overall condition, and the formula may differ between people with similar symptoms.
International material often introduces acupuncture and multi-herb formulas under the name TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Korean medicine and Chinese medicine have influenced each other over a long history, but they are not identical. The term Traditional Korean Medicine is also used internationally.
It is welcome to see acupuncture and herbal formulas become more widely recognised. We also hope that the name Korean Medicine will become equally familiar over time.
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Celebrity use and treatment effectiveness are different questions
The fact that a famous person uses a treatment does not prove that the treatment is effective.
What these stories illustrate is simply that acupuncture, hands-on care resembling Chuna and multi-herb formulas are not as unfamiliar internationally as they may seem.
The important question is not who has received a treatment, but whether that treatment is appropriate for your present condition. Effectiveness and suitability require medical evidence and an individual assessment.
