Inside Harry Kane’s unique five-hour treatment routine that no other football player does
Harry Kane is playing the best football of his life, and a special kind of treatment might be the key to his success as the new Ballon d’Or winner. Kane outshone stars like Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to win the award after an amazing year with Bayern Munich and England.
At 33, Kane has been one of the world’s top strikers for years, but lately, he’s reached an even higher level and is now seen as the very best. In 2026, he scored 58 goals for his club and country, becoming the first Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
Kane has always been very professional and takes great care of his body. A recent report from The Guardian revealed some of the habits that keep him in top shape. He’s cut out sweets from his diet and is really into ice baths and infrared saunas for recovery after matches. He also pays close attention to his sleep.
One of the most interesting things is that Kane works with a private doctor who specializes in electrical neurofunctional acupuncture. The doctor, Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco, lives in Canada but visits Munich every month to spend at least a week with Kane. During that time, he treats him for four to five hours using electroacupuncture—a type of acupuncture where needles are connected to a small electrical device.
The needles go into specific acupuncture points, and the electric pulses help activate nerves, reduce muscle tension, and ease chronic pain. While regular acupuncture is common among footballers, Kane is unique in using this advanced version. Even former world number one golfer Justin Rose recommended Claraco’s treatments.
Dr. Margie Navarro, a licensed acupuncturist in New York with over 15 years’ experience working with athletes, explained how this treatment helps. She told SPORTbible that electroacupuncture can reduce pain and inflammation, which is great for athletes with tough training schedules. It helps release endorphins, easing muscle pain and swelling, and can improve muscle function and range of motion.
Most research on electroacupuncture focuses on stroke recovery, but studies also show it helps with conditions athletes often face, like joint pain and back pain. Regular acupuncture can boost performance by relaxing tight muscles and preventing fatigue, while electroacupuncture adds benefits for pain relief and inflammation control.
The use of electricity for pain relief is an old practice—first developed by French experts and later refined in China, according to Sage Journals.
Kane is already England’s top scorer and is about to become the player with the most appearances for the national team. He’s tied with Peter Shilton at 125 caps and is expected to break that record in the next game against Croatia at Wembley. He will officially receive an award for this before the Nations League match.