Sports Acupuncture

Sports acupuncture combines the techniques and theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western sports medicine. It includes an in-depth assessment of posture and measures muscle imbalances. It utilizes orthopedic testing to identify which groups of muscles and fascial chains are involved in an injury or chronic pain. 

After physical assessment, your practitioner will palpate the groups of tissues that are ruled in as the root of your pain. Palpation can range from a light touch to deep pressure, similar to a therapeutic massage; this technique enables the practitioner to assess the quality of the muscle tissue.

Sports Acupuncture utilizes needling of the muscle motor points. This technique is effective for soft tissue injury and tightness because motor points are located where the muscle is most electrically charged and has a traceable pathway back to the spinal cord. Thus, we work not only in resetting the muscle but also in resetting the nervous system.

This assessment is integrated into the TCM channel systems to diagnose and treat conditions involving excess and deficient channels, as well as injured tissue. Sports acupuncture emphasizes the importance of determining an accurate organ differential diagnosis to ensure an individualized treatment plan for the patient and their injury. 

Needles will be inserted into relevant motor points and classical acupuncture points based on the pattern you are presenting with. This cohesive and integrated treatment is tailored to your specific needs. Practitioners will often use adjunctive therapies such as moxibustion and fire cupping. Moxibustion warms and adds energy to the tissue, whereas cupping breaks up facial adhesions and allows uninhibited movement of the muscles.

Common ailments we treat include: 

• Disc herniation 

• Facet joint irritation 

• Muscle strains

• Ankle sprains 

• Tendonitis

• Plantar fasciitis 

• Carpal tunnel

• Frozen shoulder 

• Neck Pain

• Achilles Tendonitis

• Knee Pain